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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  SIMIT 

WIMTM.N.Y.  MSM 

(716)  •71-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  MIcroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


:\ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


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POLAR  SEAS  AND   REGIONS. 


DISCOVERY  AND  ADVENTURE 


IN  THB 


NEW-YORK: 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,    83    CLIFF-ST. 


183  6. 


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Harper's  Stereotype  Edttton* 

NARRATIVE 

DISCOVERY  AND  ADVENTURE 

Dr  THE 

POLAR  S£AS  AND  REGIONS! 

'    ■  ■'■-  /      .: .'  ,    "  '         ■"'* 

...  ■  '"    '       •fj;      .^  -'--  -     .    -.■     • 

■■:■..        "■>'-'  ■  ■  ■;  , 

WITH  ILLDSTRA'nOIlS  Ot  THBUl 

CLIMATE,  OEOLOOT,  AND  NATURAL  HISTORY; 

AND  AN  ACCOUNT  OF 

THE  WHALE-FISHERY. 


BY  PROFESSOR  LESLIE,  PROFESSOR  JAMESONf 
AND  HUGH  MURRAY.  ESQ.   F.ir.fi  E. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BR0THEB9, 

MO.    83    CLXrr-ITRBBT. 

1836 


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JOHN  BARROW,  Fs^   RR.S., 

OMB   or  THE   SECRETARIES   OF  THE  ADMnULTI, 
THE  CHIEF  PROMOTER  OF  DISCOVERT 

POLAR  SEAS  AND  REGIONS, 

^  THIS  WORK  IS 

*^  (with  pibmissiom) 

MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED,  BY 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


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PREFACE 


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The  design  of  the  present  work  is  to  exhibit  a 
complete  and  connected  view  of  the  successive 
voyages  made  to  the  Arctic  regions.  In  those 
climates  Nature  is  marked  by  the  most  stupendous 
features,  and  the  forms  which  she  assumes  differ 
from  her  appearances  in  our  milder  latitudes  almost 
as  widely  as  if  they  belonged  to  another  planet. 
There  the  scenery  is  awful  and  dreary,  yet  abounds 
in  striking,  sublime,  and  even  beautiful  objects. 
The  career  of  the  navigators,  who  at  various  times 
have  traversed  the  northern  seas,  amid  tempest, 
darkness,  and  mountains  of  floating  ice,  presents 
such  a  series  of  peril  and  vicissitude,  and  has  given 
rise  to  so  many  extraordinary  displays  of  intrepidity 
and  heroism,  as  cannot  fail  to  render  most  interest- 
ing the  story  of  their  several  adventures.  When 
we  consider  also,  that  in  this  field  of  discovery 
England  laid  the  foundation  of  her  maritime  pre- 
eminence, and  that  the  men  who  have  earned  the 
greatest  glory  in  it  have  been  chiefly  British,  it  will 
be  admitted  that  the  History  of  Northern  Navigation 
must  have  a  peculiar  charm  for  the  English  reader. 

The  narrative  of  these  Voyages  has  been  care- 
fully drawn  from  the  most  auUientic  sources,  by 


ip; 


If 


VI 


PREFACE. 


Mr.  Hugh  Murray ;  and  the  most  distinguished  men 
of  science  in  Scotland  have  lent  their  aid  to  illus- 
trate that  wonderful  order  of  nature  which  prevails 
within  the  Arctic  Circle.  Professor  Leslie  has 
commenced  the  volume  with  a  full  examination  of 
the  Climate  and  its  Phenomena,— subjects  so  promi- 
nent in  those  high  latitudes,  that,  without  a  prelimi- 
nary knowledge  of  them,  the  progress  of  discovery 
would  be  but  imperfectly  understood.  A  genersd 
Survey  of  all  that  is  known  of  the  Geological  Struc- 
ture of  the  same  interesting  regions  is  given  by  Pro- 
fessor Jameson.  The  chapter  on  Natural  History, 
though  it  treats  the  subject  rather  in  a  popular  than 
in  a  scientific  manner,  has  received  the  careful  re- 
vision of  a  distinguished  naturalist. 

The  Whale-fishery  forms  an  essential  branch  of 
the  present  work.  Of  its  daring  operations,  and  its 
various  perils — as  they  occur  in  the  depth  of  the 
Polar  seas — the  description  here  introduced  may  be 
the  more  acceptable,  as  it  is  presumed  to  be  the  only 
one  hitherto  attempted  within  a  moderate  compass. 

It  might,  perhaps,  be  expected  that  this  work 
should  embrace  an  account  of  the  expeditions  per- 
formed, by  land  or  in  boats,  to  ascertain  the  northern 
boundaries  of  America  and  Asia :  such  a  narrative, 
however,  was  found  quite  incompatible  with  the 
object  of  the  present  undertaking.  The  relation 
of  these  enterprises  may  find  a  place  in  some  future 
volumes  devoted  expressly  to  the  history  of  adven- 
ture on  the  remote  shores  of  those  two  continent!. 


CONTENTS. 


Chip.I.— The  Climate  of  the  Polar  Region*    .    .    .  **? 
U.->AnimaI  and  Vegetable  Life  in  the  Polar 

Regions gjl 

IIL--Ancient  Voyages  to  the  North     ....    89 
'^•— Voyages  in  Search  of  a  North-East  Passage    90 
v.— Early  Voyages  towards  the  Pole  ....  188 
VI.— Early  Voyages  in  Search  of  a  North-West 

Passage 1^ 

VII.— Recent  Voyages  for  the  Discovery  of  a 

North-West  Paraage sqo 

J  III.— Recent  Voyages  towards  the  North  Pole   •  36» 

IX.— The  Northern  Whale-Fishery 397 

X. — ^Arctic  Geology  ...•,,.,,,  ^69 


\H 


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ENGRAVINGS. 


I  s 


Chart  of  the  Polar  Seas     .    .    .     TofoAt  the  Tttiepage*  - 
VioNBTTE — ^Perils  attendin/^  the  Whale-Fishery 

Icebergs Po^e  28 

Whale  Tirith  its  Cub,  Narwal,  &c 67 

Arctic  Animals — ^Polar  Bear,  Reindeer,  Wolf,  Fox, 

Dog,  &c 66 

Esquimaux  Boy  and  Dog 83 

Bear  approaching  a  Snowhut »    •    •  131 

Esquimaux  striking  a  Walrus 143 

Kayak,  or  Greenlander's  Canoe 164 

Mount  Hecla 181 

Oomiak,  or  Woman^s  Boat 224 

Snow  Village 234 

Group  of  Esquimaux 246 

Esquimaux  Watching  a  Seal-hole     ......  249 

Implements  used  in  the  Whale-Fishexy 315 


POLAR 
SEAS  AND   REGIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Qimate  of  the  Pdar  Regions, 

The  climate  and  seasons  within  the  Arctic  circle 
exhibit  most  peculiar  and  striking  features,  which 
modify  in  a  sin^lar  manner  the  whole  aspect  of  na 
ture.  An  investigation  of  those  phenomena  seems 
therefore  necessary  for  enabling  the  reader  to  com- 
prehend the  narrative,  and  to  follow  through  such 
icy  regions  the  paths  of  the  daring  navigators.  And 
the  more  fully  to  elucidate  the  subject,  it  will  be 
proper  to  give  some  explication  of  the  principles  that 
regulate  generally  the  distribution  of  heat  over  the 
surface  of  our  globe. 

Many  of  the  mcts  relating  to  the  Polar  climate  have 
been  coUected  in  the  course  of  the  bold  and  ardu- 
ous attempts  to  penetrate  to  India  across  the  northern 
seas.  Projects  of  this  kind,  after  being  long  sus- 
pended, were,  in  1818,  renewed,  and  embraced  with 
peculiar  ardour  by  the  English  government.  For 
two  or  three  years  previous  to  1818,  the  captains  of 
ships  employed  in  the  northern  whale-fishery  had  ge- 
nerally concurred  in  representing  ^e  Arctic  sea  as 
of  a  sudden  become  almost  open  and  accessible  to 
the  adventurous  navigator.  By  the  more  speculative 
relators,  it  had  been  supposed  that  the  vast  icy  bar- 
rier which,  for  many  ages,  obstructed  those  forlorn 
regions  was  at  last,  by  some  revolution  of  ivg^glolje. 


I 

!l  J! 

1.1 


10 


CLIMATE. 


broken  up  and  dispersed.  The  project  of  finding  a 
north-west  passage  to  Asia, — a  project  so  often 
attempted  and  so  long  abandoned, — was  by  conse 
quence  again  revived ;  and  the  more  daring  scheme 
of  penetrating  to  the  Pole  itself  had  likewise  been 
seriously  proposed.  Of  the  complete  success  of 
either  plan,  the  hopes  of  sober  thinkers  were  indeed 
extremely  slender;  yet  the  prospect  held  forth 
seemed  to  be  more  inviting,  on  the  whole,  than  at  any 
former  period  when  such  bold  undertakings  had  been 
attempted.  The  discovery  of  a  north-west  passage, 
were  it  ever  attainable,  could  hardly,  it  is  true,  be 
of  any  real  benefit  to  our  commerce ;  since,  in  such 
high  latitudes,  where  only  it  must  be  sought  for,  it 
would  at  all  times  be  very  precarious,  and  liable 
to  interruption  from  the  prevalence  of  ice.  The 
scheme  of  actually  reaching  that  northern  point  on 
the  surface  of  our  globe,  which  terminates  its  axis 
of  rotation,  however  interestmg  in  h  philosophical 
view,  can  only  be  regarded  as  an  object  of  pure  cu- 
riosity, and  not  likely  to  lead  to  any  useful  or  prac- 
tical results.  Yet  was  it  befitting:  the  character  of 
a  great  maritime  nation  to  embrace  every  chance 
of  improving  geographical  knowledge,  and  of  ex- 
tending the  basis  of  natural  science. 

The  books  and  memoirs  which  contain  the  latest 
accounts  of  the  state  of  the  northern  seas,  either  sug- 
gested the  enterprise  then  pursued,  or  were  brought 
forward  in  consequence  of  its  adoption.  Mr.  Daines 
Barrington,  a  man  of  learning  and  some  ingenuity,  em- 
braced with  ardour  the  opinion  of  the  possibility  of  ap- 
proaching to  the  Pole.  In  successive  papers  commu- 
nicated to  the  Royal  Society  of  London  he  not  only 
condensed  the  information  furnished  by  the  older  voy- 
agers, but  exhibited  the  results  of  the  numerous  que- 
ries relating  to  the  same  object,  which  he  had  circu- 
lated among  persons  engaged  in  the  Greenland  fishery. 
He  thuiuproved,  that  in  certain  favourable  seasons,  the 
Arctic  seas  are  for  several  weeks  so  open,  that  intrepid 


l! 

s 


CLIMATE. 


11 


navigators  might  safely  penetrate  to  a  very  high 
latitude.  In  compliance  with  his  sanguine  repre- 
senta1i(ms,  the  Admiralty,  in  1773,  despatched  Captain 
Phipps  to  explore  those  regions ;  but  this  commander 
was  unsuccessful  in  the  attempt,  having  reached  only 
the  latitude  of  SOh  degrees  when  his  ship  got  sur- 
rounded by  a  body  of  ice  near  Spitzbergen,  and  es- 
caped Mith  extreme  difficulty,  though  many  of  the 
whaleis  had  in  that  summer  advanced,  farther.  Mr. 
Banington  did  not,  however,  despair ;  and,  following 
out  his  views,  he  induced  Mr.  Naire  and  Dr.  Higgins 
to  makn  experiments  on  the  congelation  of  sea-water. 
The  various  facts  were  collected  in  a  small  volume, 
to  which  Colonel  Beaufoy  subjoined  an  appendix, 
containing  the  answers  made  to  his  queries  by  Rus- 
sian hunters  (who  are  accustomed  to  spend  the 
whole  year  in  Spitzbergen),  relative  to  the  probability 
of  travelling  from  that  island  to  the  Pole  during  win- 
ter, in  sledges  drawn  by  rein-deer.  The  reports  of 
these  h:udy  men  were  sufficiently  discouraging, 
liiey  pictured  the  winter  at  Spitzbergen  as  not  only 
severe  but  extremely  boisterous,  the  snow  falling  to 
the  depth  of  three  or  five  feet,  and  drifting  so  much 
along  the  shores  by  the  violence  of  the  winds  as 
often  to  Mock  up  all  communication.  The  danger 
of  being  surprised  and  overwhelmed  by  clouds  of 
snow,  raised  in  sudden  gusts,  was  so  great,  that  they 
never  ventured  to  undertake  any  long  journeys  over 
the  ice.  Sot  did  they  think  it  at  all  practicable  to 
have  loaded  sledges  dragged  over  a  surface  so 
rough  and  IdUy,  by  the  force  of  reindeer  or  dogs. 

"nie  speculations  of  Mr.  Scoresby  had  more  than 
ordinary  chiims  to  attention,  as  exhibiting  the  con- 
clusions of  a  most  diligent,  accurate,  and  scientific 
observer.  Trained  from  infancy  to  the  navigation 
of  the  frozen  seas,  under  the  direction  of  his  father, 
a  most  ente\prising  and  successful  leader,  he  con- 
joined expttr  ience  with  ingenuity  and  judgment.  For 
several  years,  during  the  intervals  of  his  Greenland 


(■'fl 


r'i 


lir 


ik' 


CLIMATC* 


voyages,  he  prosecuted  a  regular  course  of  studyw 
which  enriched  his  mind  with  liberal  attainments,  ana 
gave  a  new  impulse  to  his  native  ingenuity  an^ 
ardour.  It  was  exceeding^ly  to  be  regretted  that  any 
jealousies  or  official  punctilios  should  have  prevented 
government  from  intrusting  the  principal  command 
of  the  Polar  expedition  to  him  who  not  only  proposed 
it  originally,  but  whose  talents  and  science,  joined  to 
his  activity,  perseverance,  and  enthusiasm,  afforded 
assuredly  the  best  promise  of  its  ultimate  success. 

Hans  Egede,  a  benevolent  enthusiast,  formed  a 
plan  of  reclaiming  the  natives  of  Greenland  from  the 
enors  of  Paganism.  After  various  ineffectual  at- 
tempts, he  at  last  procured,  by  subscription,  the  aUm 
of  £2000,  with  which  he  purchased  a  vessel,  and  car- 
ried his  family  and  forty  settlers  to  Baal^s  river,  in 
the  64th  degree  of  north  latitude,  where  he  landed 
on  the  3d  of  July,  1721.  He  was  afterward  ap- 
pointed missionary,  with  a  small  salary  by  the  Danish 
government,  which  occasionally  granted  some  aid  to 
the  colony.  During  his  stay,  which  lasted  till  1736, 
he  laboured  with  great  zeal  m  his  vocation.  In  1767, 
the  year  before  his  death,  he  printed  his  Description 
ofGreenlandt  in  the  Danish  language,  at  Copenhagen. 
A  translation  of  that  work,  much  improved  and  en- 
larged, with  useful  additions  by  the  editor,  contains 
valuable  information,  tinged  with  a  large  portion  of 
credulity. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  two  centuries  of  extreme 
activity  should  have  added  so  very  little  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  Arctic  regions,  llie  relations  of 
the  earlier  navigators  to  those  parts  possess  an  in- 
terest which  has  not  been  yet  eclipsed.  The  voyage 
of  Martens  from  Hamburgh  to  Spitzbergen  may  be 
cited  as  still  the  most  instructive.  But  me  best  and 
completest  work  on  the  subject  of  the  northern 
fisheries,  is  a  treatise  in  three  volumes  octavo,  trans- 
lated from  the  Dutch  language  into  French  by 
Bernard  de  Reste,  and  published  at  Paris  in  160tt 


CLIMATE. 


18 


under  the  title  Histotre  des  P^chest  des  D^cmverieSf 
et  des  Etablissemens  des  Hollandais  dans  les  Mers  du 
Nord, 

The  Arctic  expedition,  which  in  1818  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  public,  proposed  two  distinct  ob- 
jects,— to  advance  towards  the  Pole — and  to  explore 
a  north-west  passage  to  China.  These  were  no 
doubt  splendid  schemes ;  but,  in  order  to  form  a  right 
estimate  of  the  plan  and  some  anticipation  of  its  pro- 
bable results,  it  was  necessary  to  proceed  with  cau- 
tion, and  employ  the  lights  of  science  to  guide  our 
steps.  The  facts  alleged,  respecting  the  vast  islands 
or  continents  of  ice  recently  separated  and  dispersed 
from  the  Arctic  regions,  gave  occasion  to  much  loose 
reasoning,  to  wild  and  random  conjectures,  and 
visionary  declamation.  Glowing  anticipations  were 
confidently  formed  of  the  future  amelioration  of  cli- 
mate, which  would  scarcely  be  hazarded  even  in  the 
dreams  of  romance.  Every  person  possessing  a 
slight  tincture  of  physical  science,  conceived  himself 
qualified  to  speculate  concerning  the  phenomena  of 
weather,  in  which  he  feels  a  deep  interest ;  and  hence 
a  very  flimsy  and  spurious  kind  of  philosophy,  how- 
ever trifling  or  despicable  it  may  appear  in  the  eyes 
of  the  few  who  are  accustomed  to  think  more  pro- 
foundly, gained  currency  among  certain  classes  of 
men,  and  engendered  no  small  share  of  conceit. 
Meteorology  is  a  complex  science,  depending  on  so 
many  subordinate  principles,  that  require  the  union 
of  accurate  theory  with  a  range  of  nice  and  various 
observations,  as  to  have  advanced  very  slowly 
towards  perfection. 

With  regard  to  the  nature  and  real  extent  of  the 
change  which  had  taken  place  in  the  condition  of 
the  icy  seas,  the  reports  have  no  doubt  been  greatly 
exaggerated.  To  reduce  them  to  their  just  amount, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  estimate  the  annual  effects 
produced  in  those  regions,  and  likewise  to  compare 
the  observations  of  a  similar  kind  made  by  expe- 

B 


,11. 


..( 


M^ 


^1 


CLIMATE. 


rienced  navigators  at  former  periods.  From  a 
critical  examination  of  the  vanous  facts  left  on 
record,  it  will  perhaps  appear,  that  those  Arctic 
seas  have  been  more  than  once,  in  the  course  of 
the  last  half  century,  as  open  as  they  are  now  repre- 
sented. 

To  discuss  with  accuracy  the  question  of  the 
periodical  formation  and  destruction  of  the  Polar 
ice,  it  becomes  necessary  to  explain  the  true  princi- 
ples which  regulate  the  distribution  of  heat  over  the 
globe.  This  I  shall  attempt  to  perform,  independent 
of  every  hypothesis,  by  a  direct  appeal  to  experiment 
and  observation. 

If,  at  any  place  we  dig  into  the  ground,  we  find,  by 
the  insertion  of  a  thermometer,  that,  as  we  succes- 
sively descend,  we  approach  constantly  to  some 
limiting  temperature,  which  below  a  certain  depth 
continues  unchanged.  This  depth  of  equilibrium 
varies  in  different  soils ;  but  seldom  exceeds  thirty 
or  fifty  feet.  If  the  excavation  be  made  about  the 
commencement  of  winter,  the  temperature  will  ap- 
pear to  increase  in  the  lower  strata ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, if  the  pit  be  formed  in  the  beginning  of  sum- 
mer, it  will  be  found  to  grow  colder  as  we  descend.* 
Hence,  the  mass  of  the  earth  merely  transmits  very 
slowly  the  impressions  of  heat  or  of  cold  received  at 
its  surface.  The  external  temperature  of  any  given 
day  will  perhaps  take  near  a  month  to  penetrate 
only  one  foot  into  the  ground.  By  digging  down- 
wards in  summer,  we  soon  reach,  therefore,  the  im- 
pressions of  the  preceding  spring  and  winter ;  but  the 
same  progress  into  the  ground  brings  us  back  to  the 


*  In  the  dreary  climate  of  Hudson's  Bay,  it  is  remarked  by  the  resi- 
dents, that,  even  during  the  summer  months,  in  digging  through  the 
ground  for  a  grave,  they  always  come  at  the  depth  of  a  few  feet  to  a 
stratum  of  fmen  earth.  A  singular  feature  of  the  remoter  Arctic  tracts 
is  the  flrequent  appearance  of  red  snow.  This  deception  is  occasioned 
by  the  interspersed  multitudes  of  minute  plants,  now  termed  Protococcus 
Nivalis,  a  species  of  Alga,  which  penetrate  to  a  great  depth  through  ths 
snow,  and  vegetate  in  the  severest  weather 


CLIMATG. 


Iff 


^om  a 
left  on 
Arctic 
iirse  of 
iT  repre- 

of  the 
8  Polar 
J  princi- 
)ver  the 
pendent 
eriment 

find,  by 
succes- 
o  some 
n  depth 
liUbrium 
Is  thirty 
}Out  the 
will  ap- 
the  con- 
of  sum- 
scend.* 
its  very 
eived  at 
ly  given 
enetrate 

down- 
the  im- 

but  the 
k  to  the 


>y  the  resi- 
iroQgh  the 
V  feet  to  a 
relic  tracts 
occasioned 
*rotococeus 
hroughth* 


temperatures  of  the  autumn  and  of  the  summer. 
Still  lower,  all  the  various  fluctuations  of  heat  be- 
come intermingled  and  confounded  in  one  common 
mean.  Such  observations  are  more  easily  and  cor- 
rectly made,  by  having  thermometers,  with  long 
stems,  sunk  to  different  depths  in  the  ground ;  and 
from  an  extensive  register  we  may  conclude,  that  the 
temperature  of  the  ground  is  always  the  mean  result 
of  the  impressions  made  at  the  surface  during  a 
series  of  years.  The  successive  strata,  therefore,  at 
great  depths,  may  be  regarded  as  permanent  records 
of  the  average  state  of  the  weather  in  distant  ages. 
Perhaps  the  superficial  influence  will  scarcely  de- 
scend fifty  feet  in  the  lapse  of  a  century.  Copious 
springs,  which  percolate  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and 
rapidly  convey  the  impressions  of  subterranean  heat 
to  the  surface,  will  consequently  furnish  the  most 
accurate  reports  of  the  natural  register  of  climate. 
These,  if  rightly  chosen,  differ  not  sensibly  in  their 
temperature  at  all  seasons ;  and,  whether  they  have 
their  seat  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred  or  of  five  hun- 
dred feet,  they  affect  the  thermometer  alike.*  We 
are  hence  entitled  to  conclude,  that  however  the 
weather  may  have  varied  from  year  to  year,  or 
changed  its  character  at  intervals  of  short  periods  of 
years,  it  has  yet  undergone  no  material  alteration 
during  the  efflux  of  many  ages. 

Some  philosophers  attempt  to  explain  such  facts 
as  are  now  stated,  from  the  supposed  internal  heat 
of  the  globe,  caused  by  the  action  of  central  fires ; 
and  pretend,  in  support  of  their  favourite  hjrpothesis, 

*  Tlie  celebrated  fountain  of  Vaucluse,  situate  in  the  latitude  of  43^ 
55',  and  360  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  has  been  ob- 
served to  acquire  its  highest  temperature  about  the  first  day  of  Septem- 
ber, and  to  reach  the  lovirest  at  the  beginning  of  April,  the  former  being 
560.3,  and  the  latter  54o.l  by  Falirenheit's  scale ;  which  gives  55<'.2  for 
its  mean  heat.  The  waters  are  collected  fVom  the  fissures  of  an  exten- 
sive limestone  rock,  and  seem  to  receive  the  superficial  impressions  in 
the  space  of  three  months.  They  burst  forth  with  such  a  volume  as  to 
form,  only  a  few  yards  below  their  source,  the  translucid  Sorgue,  a  rivar 
scarcely  inferior  in  its  discharge  to  the  Tay  above  Pertb. 


I 


I 


;^»^ 


16 


CLIMAT£. 


that  the  temperature  always  increases  near  the  bot- 
tom of  very  deep  mines.  But  this  observation  holds 
only  in  particular  situations,  where  the  warm  exha- 
lations from  the  burning  of  lamps  and  the  breathing 
of  the  workmen  are  collected  and  confined  under  the 
roofs  of  the  galleries.  In  the  case  of  a  deep  open 
pit,  the  effect  is  quite  reversed,  the  bottom  being 
always  colder  than  the  mean  temperature.  This  is 
owing  to  the  tendency  of  the  chill  air  to  descend  by 
its  superior  density.  The  superficial  impressions  of 
heat  and  cold  are  thus  not  sent  equally  downwards ; 
so  that  the  warmth  of  summer  is  dissipated  at  the 
mouth  of  the  pit,  while  the  rigours  of  winter  are  col- 
lected below.  A  similar  modification  of  temperature 
we  shall  find  occurs  in  profound  lakes,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  disposition  of  the  colder  and  denser 
portions  of  the  water  always  to  sink  down. 

The  permanent  heat  of  the  ground  is,  therefore, 
produced  by  the  mere  accumulation  of  incessant  ex- 
ternal impressions.  These  impressions  are  received, 
either  directly  from  the  sun's  rays,  or  circuitously, 
through  the  medium  of  atmospheric  influence.  But 
air  is  better  fitted  for  diffusing  than  for  storing  up 
heat.  The  whole  mass  of  the  atmosphere,  it  may  be 
easily  shown,  does  not  contain  more  heat  than  a 
stratum  of  water  only  ten  feet  thick,  or  one  of  earth 
measuring  fifteen  feet.  According  to  their  relative 
temperature,  the  winds,  in  sweeping  along  the 
ground,  either  abstract  or  communicate  warmth. 
But  the  sun  is  the  great  and  original  fountain  of 
heat,  wliich  the  internal  motion  excited  in  the  at- 
mosphere only  serves  to  distribute  more  equally  ovot 
the  earth's  surface.  The  heat  imparted  to  the  air, 
or  to  the  ground,  is  always  proportional  to  the  ab- 
sorption of  the  solar  beams;  and  the  results  are 
hence  still  the  same,  whether  we  embrace  the  simple 
theory,  that  heat  is  only  the  subtle  fluid  of  light,  in 
a  state  of  combination  with  its  substratum ;  or  pre- 
fer the  opinion,  that  light  has  always  conjoined 


i^ 


CLIMATE. 


17 


he  bot- 
tn  holds 
A  exha- 
eathing 
ider  the 
jp  open 
a  being 
This  is 
cend  by 
sions  of 
iwards ; 
d  at  the 
are  col- 
[)erature 
I  conse- 
1  denser 

lerefore, 

sant  ex- 

eceived, 

itously, 

e.    But 

ring  up 

maybe 

than  a 

of  earth 

relative 

>ng   the 

varmth. 

tain  of 

the  at- 

lly  over 

the  air, 

the  ab- 

ilts  are 

3  simple 

light,  in 

or  pre- 

mjoined 


» 


with  it  a  certain  admixture  of  the  invisible  matter 
of  heat.  '  ' 

Owing  to  the  spherical  form  of  the  earth,  and  the 
obliquity  of  its  axis,  very  different  quantities  of  light 
or  heat  are  received  in  the  s^^veral  latitudes.  The 
same  portion  of  heat  which  would  raise  the  tempera- 
ture of  135  pounds  of  water  a  degree  on  Fahrenheit's 
scale,  is  only  capable  of  melting  one  pound  of  ice. 
The  measure  of  ice  dissolved  is,  therefore,  the  sim- 
plest and  most  correct  standard  for  estimating  the 
quantity  of  heat  expended  in  that  process.  If  we 
apply  calculation  to  actual  experiment,  we  shall  find 
that  the  entire  and  unimpaired  light  of  the  sun  would, 
at  the  Equator,  at  the  mean  latitude  of  46°,  and  at 
the  Pole,  be  sufficient  to  melt  a  thickness  of  ice  ex- 
pressed by  38.7,  25.9,  and  13.4  feet.  Of  this  enor- 
mous action,  the  greatest  portion  is  no  doubt  wasted 
in  the  vast  abyss  of  the  ocean ;  and,  of  the  remain* 
der,  a  still  larger  share  is  perhaps  detained  and  dis- 
sipated in  the  upper  atmosphere,  or  projected  again 
in  a  soft  phosphorescence.  Yet  the  light  which,  after 
those  defalcations,  finally  reaches  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  if  left  to  accumulate  there,  would  create  such 
inequality  of  temperature  as  must  prove  quite  insup- 
portable. 

The  slow  conducting  quality  of  the  ground,  if  not 
altered  by  extraneous  influence,  would  fix  the  heat 
where  it  was  received,  and  thus  perpetuate  the  effect 
of  the  unequal  action  of  the  sun's  beams.  The 
mobility  of  the  atmosphere  hence  performs  an  im- 
portant office  in  the  economy  of  nature,  as  a  great 
regulator  of  the  system,  dispensing  moderate  warmth, 
and  attempering  the  extremities  of  climate  over  the 
face  of  the  globe.  As  the  heat  accumulates  within 
the  tropics,  it  will  occasion  currents  of  cold  air  to 
rush  from  the  higher  latitudes.  But  the  activity  of 
the  winds  thus  raised,  being  proportional  to  their  ex- 
citing cause,  must  prevent  it  from  ever  surpassing 
certain  limits.    A  perpetual  commerce  of  heat  be- 

B2 


I 


l£( 


m 


18 


CLIMATE. 


tween  the  Poles  and  the  Equator  is  hence  maintained, 
by  the  agency  of  opposite  currents  in  the  atmosphere. 
These  currents  will  often  have  their  direction  modi- 
fied ;  and  they  may  still  produce  the  same  effects,  by 
pursuing  an  oblique  or  devious  course.  The  actual 
phenomena  of  climate  only  require  the  various 
winds,  throughout  the  year,  to  advance  southwards 
or  northwards  at  the  mean  rate  of  almost  two  miles 
an  hour,  or  to  perform  in  effect  three  journeys  of 
transfer  annually  from  the  Equator  to  either  Pole. 
Not  that  these  currents  carry  the  impressions  of  heat 
or  cold  directly  from  one  extremity  of  the  globe  to 
the  other,  but,  by  their  incessant  play,  they  contri- 
bute, in  the  succession  of  ages,  to  spread  them  gra- 
dually over  the  intervening  space. 

The  system  of  opposite  aerial  currents  leads  to  the 
same  law  of  the  gradation  of  temperature  in  different 
latitudes,  as  the  celebrated  Professor  Mayer  of  Got- 
tingen  deduced  from  an  empirical  process.  It  would 
appear  that  the  variation  of  the  mean  temperature 
at  the  level  of  the  sea  is  always  proportional  to  the 
sine  of  twice  the  latitude.  Thus,  for  the  parallels 
of  every  five  degrees,  the  arrangement  is  simple : — 


Latitude.    Mean  Temperature. 


0° 

84° 

5 

83  .8 

10 

82  .4 

15 

80  .7 

20 

77  .9 

25 

74  .9 

30 

70  .9 

35 

67  .0 

40 

62  .4 

46 

58  .0 

liatitude.    Mean  Temperature. 


50° 

53°.5 

55 

49  .2 

60 

45  .0 

65 

41  .3 

70 

38  .1 

75 

35  .5 

80 

33  .6 

85 

32  .4 

90 

33  * 

♦  Perhaps  the  ^»radation  of  temperature  would,  In  the  higher  latitudes, 
require  a  small  modification.  Instead  of  assuming  39P  as  the  medium 
at  the  Pole,  it  might  be  more  exact  to  adopt  28<^,  or  the  melting  point  of 
the  ice  of  sea-water.  But  the  recent  voyagers  have  registered  the  cold- 
ness in  advancins  no:;thward8  at  much  more  intense.   It  is  evident,  how 


CLIMATE. 


19 


itained, 
sphere, 
imodi- 
ects,  by 
3  actual 
various 
thwards 
ro  miles 
neys  of 
jr  Pole, 
i  of  heat 
Tlobe  to 
r  contri- 
lem  gra- 

ds  to  the 
different 
of  Got- 
It  would 
perature 
al  to  the 
parallels 
mple : — 

iperature. 


1  latitudes, 
he  medium 
ng  point  of 
ed  the  cold- 
Ident,  how 


The  arithmetical  mean,  or  58°,  corresponds  to  the 
middle  latitude  of  45° ;  but  the  real  mean  of  the 
temperature  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  globe  is 
67°,  which  should  occur  on  the  parallel  of  35°  51  i'. 

The  system  of  currents  maintained  in  the  atmo- 
sphere likewise  contributes  essentially,  by  its  unceas- 
mg  agency  in  transferring  and  dispersing  heat,  to 
prevent  the  excessive  inequality  of  seasons  in  the 
higher  latitudes.  But  the  motions  produced  in  such 
a  vast  mass  of  fluid  must  evidently  follow,  at  long 
intervals,  the  accumulated  causes  which  excite  them. 
Hence  probably  the  origin  of  those  violent  winds 
which,  succeeding  to  the  sultry  warmth  of  summer 
and  the  sharp  frosts  of  winter,  prevail  in  the  months 
of  September  and  March,  and  are  therefore  called 
by  seamen  the  Equinoctial  Gales*  In  the  Arctic 
seas  nature  has  made  a  farther  provision  for  correct- 
ing the  excessive  irregularity  of  the  action  of  the 
sun's  rays.  This  luminary,  for  several  months  in 
winter,  is  totally  withdrawn  from  that  dreary  waste ; 
but,  to  compensate  for  his  long  absence,  he  continues 
during  an  equal  period  in  summer  to  shine  without 
interruption.  Now,  from  a  beautiful  arrangement, 
the  surface  of  the  ocean  itself,  by  its  alternate 
freezing  and  thawing,  presents  a  vast  substratum, 
on  which  the  excesses  of  heat  and  of  cold  in  succes- 
sion are  mutually  spent.  In  ordinary  cases,  the 
superficial  water,  as  it  cools  and  therefore  contracts, 
sinks  down  into  the  abyss  by  its  superior  gravity ; 
but  when  it  grows  warmer  it  expands,  and  conse- 
quently floats  incumbent,  communicating  afterward 
its  surplus  heat  with  extreme  slowness  to  the  mass 
below.  But  the  seas  within  the  Arctic  circle  being 
always  near  the  verge  of  congelation,  at  which  limit 

ever,  that  their  thermomctrical  observntions  must  bo  afftcted  by  some 
latent  and  material  inaccuracy.  Were  the  mean  temperature  of  the 
Arctic  regions  really  below  the  point  of  saline  congelation,  the  annuiU 
formation  of  ice  in  thong  seas  would  exceed  the  quantity  dissolved,  and 
therefore  the  extension  of  the  flrozen  fields  would,  contrary  to  (hct,  be  con* 
•tuitly  progressive. 


\i  1 


JlitJ 


M 


20 


CLIMATE. 


m 


\  ■ 


w 


\\ 


water  scarcely  undergoes  any  sensible  alteration  of 
volume  even  from  a  considerable  change  of  tempera- 
ture, the  superficial  stratum  remains  constantly 
stagnant,  and  exposed  to  receive  all  the  variable  im- 
pressions of  the  sweeping  winds.  The  piercing  cold 
of  winter,  therefore,  spends  its  rage  in  freezing  the 
salt  water  to  a  depth  proportional  to  its  intensity 
and  continuance.*  The  prolonged  warmth  of  sum- 
mer again  is  consumed  in  melting  those  fields  of  ice, 
every  inch  of  which  in  thickness  requiring  as  much 
absorption  of  heat  as  would  raise  the  temperature 
of  a  body  of  water  lOi  feet  thick  a  whole  degree. 
The  summer  months  are  hence  nearlj*"  gone  before 
the  sun  can  dissolve  the  icy  domes,  and  shoot  with 
entire  effect  his  slanting  rays.  It  may  be  shown, 
that  under  the  Pole  the  action  of  the  solar  light  is, 
at  the  time  of  the  solstice,  one-fourth  part  greater 
than  at  the  equator,  and  sufficient  in  the  course  of 
a  day  to  melt  a  sheet  of  ice  an  inch  and  a  half 
thick. 

If  horizontal  winds  serve  to  balance  the  unequal 
action  of  the  solar  beams  over  the  surface  of  the 
globe,  the  rising  and  descending  currents  excited  in 
the  body  of  the  atmosphere  still  more  effectually 
maintain  the  equilibrium  of  day  and  night.  After 
the  ground  has  become  heated  by  the  direct  illumi- 
nation of  the  sun,  it  warms  the  lowest  portion  of  the 
incumbent  air,  which,  being  thus  dilated,  begins  to 
ascend,  and  therefore  occasions  the  descent  of  an 
equal  portion  of  the  fluid.  But  these  vertical  cur- 
rents, being  once  created,  will  continue  their  motion 
long  after  the  primary  cause  has  ceased  to  impel 
them,  and  may  protract,  during  the  night,  the  accu- 

*  At  Melville  Island,  in  the  latitude  of  740  45',  Captain  Parry  ob- 
served ice  to  form  of  a  thicknens  IVom  three  to  five  inches,  around  the 
ship's  sides,  in  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours ;  and  in  one  instance  it 

Sained  in  that  time  the  thickness  of  7^  inches,  Fahrenheit's  thermometer 
eing  tlien  12°  below  zero.    Suoh  power  of  congelation,  it  might  be  com 
puled,  would  require  the  fUU  refrigerating  action  of  a  stratum  of  air  at 
that  temperature,  and  rather  nv>r<*  t^*>«n  a  milB  in  height. 


i 


CLIMATE. 


21 


itioii  of 
;mpera- 
istantly 
ible  lin- 
ing cold 
'Ang  the 
ntensity 
of  sum- 
Is  of  ice, 
as  much 
perature 

degree, 
le  before 
lOOt  with 
J  shown, 

light  is, 
t  greater 
ourse  of 
d  a  half 

unequal 
3e  of  the 
xcited  in 
flfectually 
t.    After 
;t  illumi- 
on  of  the 
)egins  to 
int  of  an 
ical  cur- 
ir  motion 
to  impel 
he  accu- 

In  Parry  ob- 
I,  around  the 
e  instance  It 
thermometer 
light  be  com 
um  of  air  at 


mulation  of  chilled  air  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
This  effect  is  farther  augmented,  in  general,  by  the 
frigorific  impressions  which  are  at  all  times  darted 
downwards  from  a  clear  sky.*  By  the  operation  of 
this  combined  system,  therefore,  the  diurnal  vicissi- 
tudes of  temperature  are  diminished  in  the  temperate 
and  torrid  zones.  Another  consequence  results 
from  such  rapid  and  continual  interchange  of  the 
higher  and  lower  strata,  that  the  same  absolute 
quantity  of  heat  must  obtain  at  every  altitude  in  the 
atmosphere. 

This  equal  distribution  of  heat  at  all  elevations 
is  moulded,  however,  by  another  principle,  which 
causes  the  regular  gradation  upwards  of  a  decreasing 
temperature.  In  fact,  air  is  found  to  have  its  capa- 
city for  heat  enlarged  by  rarefaction ;  so  that  any 
portion  of  the  fluid  carried  to  the  higher  regions, 
where  it  by  consequence  expands,  will  have  its  tem- 
perature proportionally  diminished.  The  decrease 
of  temperature  in  ascending  the  atmosphere  is  not 
far  from  being  uniform,  at  the  rate  of  about  one  de 
gree  for  every  hundred  yards  of  elevation.  Hence 
the  limit  of  perpetual  congelation  forms  a  curve, 
which  is  nearly  the  same  as  the  Companion  of  the 
Cycloid,  bending  gradually  from  the  equator,  re- 
verting its  inflexure  at  the  latitude  of  46°,  and 
grazing  the  surface  at  the  Pole.  The  mean  heights 
of  eternal  frost,  under  the  equator,  and  at  the  lati- 
tudes of  30°  and  60°,  are  respectively  15207,  11484, 
and  3818  feet. 

It  is  important  to  remark,  that  the  heat  of  large 
collections  of  water  will  seldom  agree  precisely  with 
the  mean  temperature  corresponding  to  the  latitude. 
The  variable  impressions  received  at  the  surface 
from  the  atmosphere  will  not,  as  on  land,  penetrate 

♦  See  Supplement  to  the  EncyclopjBdla  Britannica,  rol.  iii.  part  i.  p. 
177 ;  or  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  yoL  viU.  put 
ii.  p>  405 


!i 


In,  "^ 


22 


CLIMATE. 


!*/■■' 


4 


slowly  into  the  mass,  and  become  mingled  and 
equalized  at  a  moderate  depth.  Heat  is  conducted 
through  liquids  chiefly  by  the  internal  play  result- 
ing from  their  partial  expansion.  In  the  more  tem- 
perate regions  of  the  globe,  the  superficial  waters  of 
lakes  or  seas,  as  they  grow  warmer,  and,  therefore, 
specifically  lighter,  still  remain  suspended  by  their 
acquired  buoyancy.  But  whenever  they  come  to  be 
chilled,  they  suffer  contraction,  and  are  precipitated 
by  their  greater  density.  Hence  the  deep  water, 
both  of  lakes  and  of  seas,  is  always  considerably 
colder  than  what  floats  at  the  surface.  The  grada- 
tion of  cold  is  distinctly  traced  to  the  depth  of  twenty 
fathoms,  below  which  the  diminished  temperature 
continues  nearly  uniform  as  far  as  the  sounding- 
line  can  reach.  In  shallow  seas  however,  the  cold 
substratum  of  liquid  is  brought  nearer  to  the  top. 
The  increasing  coldness  of  water,  drawn  up  from 
the  depth  of  only  a  few  fathoms,  may  hence  indi- 
cate to  the  navigator  who  traverses  the  wide  ocean 
his  approach  to  banks  or  land. 

These  principles,  however,  will  not  apply  to  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  the  Arctic  seas.  Water 
differs  essentially,  in  its  expansion  by  heat,  from 
mercury,  oil,  or  alcohol :  far  from  dilating  uniformly, 
a  property  which  fits  the  latter  substances  for  the 
construction  of  thermometers,  it  swells  from  the 
point  of  congelation,  or  rather  a  very  few  degrees 
above  it,  with  a  rapid  progression,  to  that  of  boiling. 
Near  the  limit  of  its  greatest  contraction,  the  volume 
of  water  is  scarcely  affected  at  all  by  any  alteration 
of  heat.  When  the  surface  of  the  ocean  is  depressed 
to  a  temperature  between  28  and  44  degrees  of 
Fahrenheit's  scale,  it  will  remain  almost  stagnant, 
and  therefore  exposed  to  the  full  impression  of  ex- 
ternal cold.  Hence  the  Polar  seas  are  always  ready, 
under  the  action  of  any  frosty  wind,  to  suffer  conge- 
lation. The  annual  variations  of  the  weather  are  in 
those  seas  expended  on  the  superficial  waters,  with» 


\ 


CLIMATE. 


23 


ed  and 
nducted 
result- 
re  tem- 
aters  of 
erefore, 
jy  their 
rie  to  be 
ipitated 
>  water, 
iderably 
3  grada- 
■  twenty 
perature 
mnding- 
the  cold 
the  top. 
up  from 
ice  indi- 
ie  ocean 

y  to  the 

Water 

it,  from 

iformly, 

for  the 

rom  the 

degrees 

boiling. 

I  volume 

teration 

pressed 

trees  of 

agnant, 

I  of  ex- 

rs  ready, 

r  conge- 

er  are  in 

rs,  with- 


out disturbing  the  vast  abyss  below.  Contrary  to 
what  takes  place  under  mflder  skies,  the  water  drawn 
up  from  a  considerable  depth  is  often  warmer  within 
the  Arctic  circle  than  what  lies  on  the  surface.  The 
floating  ice  accordingly  begins  to  melt  generally  on 
the  under  side,  from  the  slow  communication  of  the 
heat  sent  upwards. 

These  deductions  are  confirmed  by  the  nice  results 
of  astronomical  observations.  Any  change  in  the 
temperature  of  our  globe  would  occasion  a  corres- 
ponding mutation  of  volume,  and  consequently  an 
alteration  in  the  momentum  of  the  revolving  mass. 
Thus,  if,  from  the  accession  of  heat,  the  earth  had 
gained  only  a  millionth  part  of  linear  expansion, 
it  would  have  required  an  increase  of  five  times  propor- 
tionally more  momentum  to  maintain  the  same  rota- 
tion. On  this  supposition,  therefore,  the  diurnal  re- 
volution would  have  been  retarded  at  the  rate  of  three 
seconds  in  a  week.  But  the  length  of  the  day  has 
certainly  not  varied  one  second  in  a  year  since  the 
age  of  Hipparchus ;  for  we  cannot  imagine  that  the 
ancient  observations  could  ever  deviate  an  hour  from 
the  truth.  We  may  hence  conclude  that,  in  the  lapse 
of  three  thousand  years,  the  mass  of  our  globe  has 
not  acquired  the  ten-millionth  part  of  expansion 
which  the  smallest  fraction  of  a  degree  of  heat  would 
have  communicated. 

The  accumulation  of  ice  on  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  would  likewise  have  occasioned  a  prolongation 
of  the  length  of  the  day.  This  effect  would  no 
doubt  be  diminished  under  the  Arctic  circle,  from 
the  proximity  of  the  glacial  protuberance  to  the  axis ; 
but  its  influence  would  cause  a  notable  difference. 

After  the  continued  action  of  the  sun  has  at  last 
melted  away  the  great  body  of  ice,  a  short  and  du- 
bious interval  of  warmth  occurs.  In  the  space  of  a 
few  weeks,  only  visited  by  slanting  and  enfeebled 
rays,  frost  again  resumes  his  tremendous  sway.  It 
begins  to  snow  as  early  as  August,  and  the  whole 


m 


'.:■  !«i 


h 


^ 


'I 


24 


CLIMATE. 


II  ' 


ground  is  covered,  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet, 
before  the  month  of  October.  Along  the  shores  and 
the  bays,  the  fresh  water,  poured  from  rivulets,  or 
drained  from  the  thawing  of  former  collections  of 
snow,  becomes  quickly  converted  into  solid  ice.  As 
the  cold  augments,  the  air  deposites  its  moisture  in 
the  form  of  a  fog,  which  freezes  into  a  fine  gossamer 
netting  or  spicular  icicles,  dispersed  through  the 
atmosphere  and  extremely  minute,  that  might  seem 
to  pierce  and  excoriate  the  skin.  The  hoar  frost  set- 
tles profusely,  in  fantastic  clusters,  on  every  promi- 
nence. The  whole  surface  of  the  sea  steams  like  a 
lime-kiln, — an  appearance  called  the  frost-smoke, 
caused,  as  in  other  instances  of  the  production  of 
vapour,  by  the  water's  being  still  relatively  warmer 
than  the  incumbent  air.  At  length  the  dispersion  of 
the  mist,  and  consequent  clearness  of  the  atmosphere, 
announce  that  the  upper  stratum  of  the  sea  itself 
has  cooled  to  the  same  standard;  a  sheet  of  ice 
spreads  quickly  over  the  smooth  expanse,  and  often 
gains  the  thickness  of  ai  inch  in  a  single  night.  The 
darkness  of  a  prolonged  winter  now  broods  impene- 
trably over  the  frozen  continent,  unless  the  moon 
chance  at  times  to  obtrude  her  faint  rays,  which  only 
discover  the  horrors  and  wide  desolation  of  the  scene. 
The  wretched  settlers,  covered  with  a  load  of  bear- 
BiJns,  remain  crowded  and  immured  in  their  hut, 
every  chink  of  which  they  carefully  stop  against  the 
piercing  external  cold ;  and,  cowering  about  the  stove 
or  the  lamp,  they  seek  to  doze  away  the  tedious 
night.  Their  slender  stock  of  provisions,  though 
kept  in  the  same  apartment,  is  often  frozen  so  hard 
as  to  require  to  be  cut  by  a  hatchet.  The  whole  of 
the  inside  of  their  hut  becomes  lined  with  a  thick 
crust  of  ice ;  and,  if  they  happen  for  an  instant  to 
open  a  window,  the  moisture  of  the  confined  air  is 
immediately  precipitated  in  the  form  of  a  shower  of 
snow.  As  the  frost  continues  to  penetrate  dcr nor, 
the  rocks  are  heard  at  a  distance  to  split  with  loud 


CLIMATE. 


90 


3e  feett 
res  and 
lets,  or 
ions  of 
je.    As 
jture  in 
»ssamer 
igh  the 
it  seem 
:ost  set- 
'  promi- 
is  like  a 
t'Smoke, 
ction  of 
warmer 
irsion  of 
osphere, 
sa  itself 
;  of  ice 
id  often 
it.    The 
impene- 
e  moon 
ichonly 
e  scene, 
of  bear- 
leir  hut, 
inst  the 
e  stove 
tedious 
though 
so  hard 
hole  of 
a  thick 
tant  to 
Id  air  is 
iwer  of 
dccpor, 
th  loud 


explosions.  The  sleep  of  death  seems  to  wrap  up 
the  scene  in  utter  and  oblivious  ruin.* 

At  length  the  sun  reappears  above  the  horizon ; 
but  his  languid  beams  rather  betray  the  wide  waste 
than  brighten  the  prospect.  By  degrees,  however, 
the  farther  progress  of  the  frost  is  checked.  In  the 
month  of  May,  the  famished  inmates  venture  to  leave 
their  hut,  in  quest  of  fish  on  the  margin  of  the  sea. 
As  the  sun  acquires  elevation,  his  power  is  greatly 
increased.  The  snow  gradually  wastes  away — the 
ice  dissolves  apace — and  vast  fragments  of  it,  de- 
tached from  the  clitfs,  and  undermined  beneath,  pre- 
cipitate themselves  on  the  shores  with  the  crash  of 
thunder.  The  ocean  is  now  unbound,  and  its  icy 
dome  broken  up  with  tremendous  rupture.  The 
enormous  fields  of  ice,  thus  set  afloat,  are,  by  the 
violence  of  winds  and  currents,  again  dissevered  and 
dispersed.  Sometimes,  impelled  in  opposite  direc- 
tions they  appioach,  and  strike  with  a  mutual  shock, 
like  the  crush  of  worlds, — sufficient,  if  opposed,  to 
reduce  to  atoms,  in  a  moment,  the  proudest  monu- 
ments of  human  power.  It  is  impossible  to  picture 
a  situation  more  awful  than  that  of  the  poor  crew 
of  a  whaler,  who  see  their  frail  bark  thus  fatally 
enclosed,  expecting  immediate  and  inevitable  de- 
struction. 

Before  the  end  of  June,  the  shoals  of  ice  in  the 
Arctic  seas  are  commonly  divided,  scattered,  and 
dissipated.  But  the  atmosphere  is  then  almost  con- 
tinually damp,  and  loaded  with  vapoi  r.  At  this  sea- 
son of  the  year,  a  dense  fog  generally  covers  the 

*  "  The  sound  of  voices  which,  during  the  cold  weather,  could  be 
heard  at  a  much  greater  distance  than  usual,  served  now  and  then  to 
break  the  silence  which  reigned  around  us;  a  silence  far  different  from 
that  peaceable  composure  which  characterizes  the  landscape  of  a  culti> 
vated  country ;  it  was  the  death-lilie  stillness  of  the  most  dreary  deao- 
fation,  and  the  total  absienceof  animated  existence."— Parry.  During 
the  winter  at  Melville  Island,  people  were  heard  conversing  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  mile.  This  was  no  doubt  owing  partly  to  the  density  of  the 
frigid  atmosphere ;  but  chiefly  to  the  absence  of  all  obstruction  in  a  scene 
of  universal  cali»-and  darkness. 


I    ■     H 


A 


);.!, 


I  ^ 


r '— ^■"•^imr-^''^T" 


26 


CLIMATE. 


surface  of  the  sea,  of  a  milder  temperature  indeed 
than  the  frost-smoke,  yet  produced  by  the  inversion 
of  the  same  cause.  The  lower  stratum  of  air,  as  it 
successively  touches  the  colder  body  of  water,  be- 
comes chilled,  and  thence  disposed  to  deposite  its 
moisture.  Such  thick  fo^,  with  mere  gleams  of 
clear  weather,  infesting  the  northern  seas  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  summer,  render  their  navigation 
extremely  dangerous.  In  the  course  of  the  month 
of  July,  the  superficial  water  is  at  last  brought  to  an 
equilibrium  of  temperature  with  the  air,  and  the  sun 
now  shines  out  with  a  bright  and  dazzling  radiance. 
For  some  days  before  the  close  of  the  summer,  such 
excessive  heat  is  accumulated  in  the  bays  and  shel- 
tered spots,  that  the  tar  and  pitch  are  sometimes 
melted,  and  run  down  the  ship's  sides. 

Notwithstanding  the  shortness  of  the  summer  in 
Ihe  high  latitudes,  the  air  on  land  becomes  often  op- 
pressively sultry.  This  excessive  heat,  being  con- 
joined with  moisture,  engenders  clouds  of  mosqui- 
toes, from  the  stings  of  which  the  Laplanders  are 
forced  to  seek  refuge  in  their  huts,  where  they  enve- 
lope themselves  in  dense  smoke.  Humidity  marks 
the  general  character  of  the  Arctic  regions,  which 
are  covered  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  with 
chilling  fogs.  The  sky  seldom  appears  clear,  except 
for  a  few  weeks  in  winter,  when  the  cold  at  the  sur- 
face becomes  most  intense.  Yet  the  rigour  of  that 
season  is  not  felt  so  severely  as  the  thermometer 
would  indicate.  When  the  temperature  is  lowest, 
the  air  is  commonly  calm,  and,  therefore,  abstracts 
less  heat  from  the  body  than  the  exposure  to  a  strong 
wind  of  much  inferior  coldness.  The  providence  of 
the  natives  serves  to  mitigate  the  hardships  they  have 
to  suffer.  The  Esquimaux,  on  the  approach  of  win- 
ter, cut  the  hard  ice  into  tall  square  blocks,  with 
which  they  construct  regular  spacious  domes,  con- 
nected with  other  smaller  ones,  for  the  various  pur- 
poses of  domestic  economy     They  shape  the  inside 


CLIMATE. 


27 


indeed 
jrersion 
r,  as  it 
ter,  be- 
site  its 
ims  of 
ing  the 
igation 
month 
iittoan 
the  sun 
diance. 
jr,  such 
id  shel- 
letimes 

imer  in 
ften  op- 
\g  con- 
nosqui- 
ers  are 
y  enve- 
marks 
,  which 
ar  with 
except 
ihe  sur- 
of  that 
iometer 
lowest, 
)stracts 
,  strong 
ence  of 
jy  have 
)f  win- 
s,  with 
;s,  con- 
ns pur- 
i  inside 


f    ? 


with  care,  and  give  it  an  even,  glossy  surface  by  the 
affusion  of  water.  The  snowy  wall  soon  becomes 
a  solid  concrete  mass,  which,  being  a  slow  conductor, 
checks  the  access  of  cold,  while  it  admits  a  sufficient 
portion  of  light.  It  may  also  be  remarked,  that  the 
external  darkness  prevails  only  during  a  part  of  the 
day.  Since  twilight  obtains  whenever  the  sun  is 
less  depressed  than  18  degrees  below  the  horizon,  the 
limits  of  entire  obscuration  occur  in  the  latitudes  of 
84^°  and  48i° ;  in  the  former  at  midday  in  the  win- 
ter solstice,  and  in  the  latter  at  midnight  in  the  sol- 
stice of  summer.  Between  these  extremes  the  at- 
mosphere at  the  opposite  seasons  glows  to  a  greater 
or  a  less  extent,  from  the  middle  of  the  day  or  of 
the  night.  Accordingly,  Captain  Parry's  party, 
during  their  detention  at  Melville  Island,  in  the  lati- 
tude of  74°  40',  found,  that  in  clear  weather,  about 
noon,  they  could  easily,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  read 
the  smallest  print  on  deck.  This  position  corres- 
ponds to  the  alternating  parallel  of  68°  20',  which 
nearly  reaches  Orkney,  where  the  transparency  of 
the  nights  in  the  height  of  summer  is  well  known. 
The  approach  of  twilight  is,  besides,  advanced  in  the 
frozen  regions  by  the  superior  refractive  power  of  a 
very  dense  atmosphere.  The  horizontal  refrafction 
usually  raises  the  lower  limb  of  the  sun  and  moon 
about  the  twelfth  part  of  their  diameters,  and  often 
gives  it  a  wavy  and  fantastic  outline.  Hence  the 
reappearance  of  those  luminaries  is  hastened  within 
the  Arctic  circle,  though  the  quantity  of  anticipation 
has  been  much  exaggerated. 

The  ice  which  obstructs  the  navigation  of  the 
Arctic  seas  consists  of  two  very  different  kinds ;  the 
one  produced  by  the  congelation  of  fresh,  and  the 
other  by  that  of  salt  water.  In  those  inhospitable 
tracts,  the  snow  which  annually  falls  on  the  islands 
or  continents,  being  again  dissolved  by  the  progress 
of  the  summer's  heat,  pours  forth  numerous  rills  and 
limpid  streams,  which  collect  along  the  indented 


,  .. ,« 


.    f  I  Its. 


.  I      til 


h 


^ 


m 


CLIMATE. 


hi^ 


li 


if 


■i     I 


shores,  and  in  the  deep  bays  enclosed  by  precipitous 
rocks.  There,  this  clear  and  gelid  water  soon 
freezes,  and  every  successive  year  supplies  an  addi- 
tional investing  crust,  till,  after  the  lapse,  perhaps,  of 
several  centuries,  the  icy  mass  rises  at  last  to  the 
size  and  aspect  of  a  mountain,  commensurate  with 
the  elevation  of  the  adjoining  cliffs.  The  melting 
of  the  snow,  which  is  afterward  deposited  on  such 
enormous  blocks,  likewise  contributes  to  their 
growth;  and,  by  filling  up  the  accidental  holes  or 
crevices,  it  renders  the  whole  structure  compact  and 
uniform.  Meanwhile,  the  principle  of  destruction 
has  already  begun  its  operations.  The  ceaseless 
agitation  of  the  sea  gradually  wears  and  undermines 
the  base  of  the  icy  mountain,  till,  at  length,  by  the 
action  of  its  own  accumulated  weight,  when  it  has 
perhaps  attained  an  altitude  of  a  thousand,  or  even 
two  thousand  feet,  it  is  torn  from  its  frozen  chainsy 
and  precipitated,  with  tremendous  plunge,  into  the 
abyss  below.  This  mighty  launch  now  floats  like  a 
lofty  island  on  the  ocean ;  till,  driven  southwards  by 
winds  and  currents  it  insensibly  wastes  and  dissolves 
away  in  the  wide  Atlantic. 

Such  I  conceive,  to  be  the  real  origin  of  the  icy 
mountains  or  icc6cr^5,  entirely  similar  in  their  forma- 
tion to  the  fflacitrs  which  occur  on  the  flaviks  of  the 
Alps  and  the  Pyrenees.  They  consist  of  a  clear, 
compact,  and  solid  ice,  which  has  the  fine  green  tint 
verging  to  blue,  which  ice  or  water,  when  very  pure 
and  of  a  sufficient  depth,  always  assumes.  From 
the  cavities  of  these  icebergs,  the  crews  of  the 
northern  whalers  are  accustomed,  by  means  of  a 
hose,  or  flexible  tube  of  canvass,  to  fill  their  casks 
easily  with  the  finest  and  softest  water.  Of  the 
same  species  of  ice,  the  fragments  which  are  picked 
up  as  they  float  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean  yield  the 
adventurous  navigator  the  most  refreshing  beverage.* 

*  The  vrater  nfhich  flows  flrom  those  Arctic  glaciers  becomes  firozen 
•gala  on  the  approach  of  winter,  and  forms  along  the  coast  a  thick  stra* 


1    ■ 

! 

i 

i 

'• 

1 

i:i 

^ 

!'■ 

i 

ii 

K-U 

Icebergs.— [p.  28.] 


CLIMATE. 


30 


tH 


It  was  long  disputed  among  the  learned,  wheiher 
the  waters  of  the  ocean  are  capable  of  being  con- 
gealed ;  and  many  frivolous  and  absurd  arguments, 
of  course,  were  advanced  to  prove  the  impossibUity 
of  the  fact.  But  the  question  is  now  completely 
resolved;  and  the  freezing  of  sea-water  is  esta- 
blished both  by  observation  and  experiment.  The 
product,  however,  is  an  imperfect  sort  of  ice,  easily 
distinguishable  from  the  result  of  a  regular  crystal- 
lization: it  is  porous,  incompact,  and  imperfectly 
diaphanous.  It  consists  of  spicular  shoots,  or  thin 
flakes,  which  detain  within  their  interstices  the 
stronger  brine ;  and  its  granular  spongy  texture  has, 
in  fact,  the  appearance  of  congealed  syrup,  or  what 
the  confectioners  caWwcUer-ice,  This  saline  ice  can, 
therefore,  never  yield  pure  water;  yet,  if  the  strong 
brine  imprisoned  in  it  be  first  suffered  to  drain  off 
slowly,  the  loose  mass  that  remains  will  melt  into  a 
brackish  liquid,  which  in  some  cases  may  be  deemed 
potable.* 

To  congeal  sea-water  of  the  ordinary  saltness,  or 
containing  nearly  the  thirtieth  part  of  its  weight  of 
saline  matter,  it  requires  not  an  extreme  cold ;  this 
process  taking  effect  about  the  27th  degree  on  Fah- 
renheit's scale,  or  only  five  degrees  below  the  freez- 
ing-point of  fresh  water.  Within  the  Arctic  circle, 
therefore,  the  surface  of  the  ocean  being  never  much 
warmer,  is,  in  the  decline  of  the  summer,  soon  cooled 
down  to  the  limit  at  which  congelation  commences. 
About  the  end  of  July,  or  the  beginning  of  August, 
a  sheet  of  ice,  perhaps  an  inch  thick,  is  formed  in  the 


turn  of  blue  solid  ice,  imbedded  in  the  beach,  and  flrom  six  to  ten  feet 
under  the  surtlice. 

*  Captain  Parry  remarked,  that  the  superficial  ^ater  near  melting 
ice  had  scarcely  any  trace  of  saltness.  In  other  observations  maide 
about  the  end  of  July,  he  discovered  the  water  at  the  surface  to  contain 
only  the  550th  part  of  its  weight  of  salt ;  but  under  ten  fathoms  the  pro- 
portion had  increased  to  the  39th,  and  at  the  depth  of  300  flithoms  to  the 
37th  part.  The  finable  ice  of  sea-water  was  found  to  hold  the  115th  part 
if  salt. 

C  3 


30 


CLIMATE. 


H  ■   • 

If  U 


*■  '^  .,, 


^ 
% 


I  \t  ^ 


I    f  . 


I 


space  of  a  single  night.  The  frost  now  maintains 
ascendency,  and  shoots  its  increasing  energy  in  all 
directions,  till  it  has  covered  the  whole  extent  of 
those  seas  with  a  solid  vault  to  the  depth  of  several 
feet.  But,  on  the  return  of  spring,  the  penetrating 
rays  of  the  sun  gradually  melt  or  soften  that  icy 
floor,  and  render  its  substance  friable  and  easily  dis- 
rupted. The  first  strong  wind,  creating  a  swell  in 
the  ocean,  then  breaks  up  the  vast  continent  into 
large  fields,  which  are  afterward  shivered  into  frag- 
ments by  their  mutual  collision.  This  generally 
happens  early  in  the  month  of  June;  and  a  few 
weeks  are  commonly  sufficient  to  disperse  and  dis- 
solve the  floating  ice.  The  sea  is  at  last  open,  for  a 
short  and  dubious  interval,  to  the  pursuits  of  the  ad- 
venturous mariner. 

While  icebergs  are  thus  the  slow  growth  of  ages, 
the  fields  or  shoals  of  saline  ice  are  annually  formed 
and  destroyed.  The  ice  generated  from  melted  snow 
is  hard,  pellucid,  and  often  swells  to  enormous  height 
and  dimensions.  But  the  concretion  of  salt  water 
wants  solidity,  clearness,  and  strength,  and  never 
rises  to  any  very  considerable  thickness.  It  seldom 
floats  during  more  than  part  of  the  year ;  though,  in 
some  cold  season,  the  scattered  fragments  may  be 
surprised  by  the  early  frost,  and  preserved  till  the 
following  summer. 

The  whale-fishers  enumerate  several  varieties  of 
the  salt-water  ice.  A  very  wide  expanse  of  it  they 
call  ?k  fields  and  one  of  smaller  dimensions  ^Jloe. 
When  a  field  is  dissevered  by  a  subaqueous  or  grorwn 
swell,  it  breaks  into  numerous  pieces,  seldom  ex- 
ceeding forty  or  fifty  yards  in  diameter,  which,  taken 
collectively,  are  termed  a  pack.  This  pack  again, 
when  of  a  broad  shape,  is  called  a  patch ;  and,  when 
much  elongated,  a  stream.  The  packs  of  ice  are 
crowded  and  heaped  together  by  violent  winds ;  but 
they  again  separate  and  spread  asunder  in  calm 
weather.    If  a  ship  can  sail  freely  through  the  float- 


t.'L 


n. 


intains 
jr  inaU 
tent  of 
several 
itrating 
tiat  icy 
ily  dis- 
iwell  in 
nt  into 
to  fra^- 
nerally 
a  few 
md  diS" 
n,  for  a 
the  ad- 

>f  ages, 
formed 
d  snow 
I  height 
[t  water 
never 
seldom 
lughfin 
nay  be 
tiU  the 

ties  of 

it  they 

a^oe. 

gr(ywn 

pm  ex- 

» taken 

again, 

,  when 

ce  are 

s;  but 

calm 

afloat. 


CLIMATE. 


31 


ing  pieces  of  ice,  it  is  called  drift-ice ;  and  the  ice 
itself  is  said  to  be  loose  or  open.  When,  from  the 
effect  of  abrasion,  the  larger  blocks  of  ice  are  crum- 
bled into  minute  fragments,  this  collection  is  called 
brash-ice.  A  portion  of  ice  rising  above  the  common 
level  is  termed  a  hummock^  being  produced  by  the 
squeezing  of  one  piece  over  another.  These  hum- 
mocks or  protuberances  break  the  uniform  surface 
of  the  ice,  and  give  it  a  most  diversified  and  fantastic 
appearance.  They  are  numerous  in  the  heavy  packs, 
and  along  the  edges  of  ice-fields,  reaching  to  the 
height  of  thirty  feet.  The  term  sludge  is  applied  by 
the  sailors  to  the  soft  and  incoherent  crystals  which 
the  frost  forms  when  it  first  attacks  the  ruffled  sur- 
face of  the  ocean.  As  these  increase,  they  have 
some  effect,  like  oil,  to  still  the  secondary  waves ;  but 
they  are  prevented  from  coalescing  into  a  continuous 
sheet,  by  the  agit:.tio!i  which  still  prevails ;  and  they 
form  small  discs,  rounded  by  continual  attrition, 
and  scarcely  three  inches  in  diameter,  called  pari' 
cakes.  Sometimes  these  again  unite  into  circular 
pieces,  perhaps  a  foot  thick,  and  many  yards  in  cir- 
cumference. 

The  fields  and  other  collections  of  floating  ice  are 
often  discovered  at  a  great  distance,  by  tliat  singular 
appearance  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon,  which  the 
Dutch  seamen  have  termed  ice-blink.  It  is  a  stratum 
of  lucid  whiteness,  occasioned  evidently  by  the  glare 
of  light  reflected  obliquely  from  the  surface  of  the 
ice  against  the  opposite  atmosphere.  This  shining 
streak,  which  looks  always  brightest  in  clear  weather, 
indicates,  to  the  experienced  navigator,  20  or  30 
miles  beyond  the  limit  of  direct  vision,  not  only  the 
extent  and  figure,  but  even  the  quality  of  the  ice. 
The  blink  from  packs  of  ice  appeals  of  a  pure  white, 
while  that  which  is  occasioned  by  snow-fields  has 
some  tinge  of  yellow. 

The  mountains  of  hard  and  perfect  ice  are  the 
gradual  production,  perhaps,  of  many  centuries. 


M 


h 


i'  ' 


\   f 


I 


t 

1 

1   ^: 

L. 

i 

32 


CLIMATE. 


Along  the  western  coast  of  Greenland,  prolonged 
into  Davis's  Strait,  they  form  an  immense  rampart, 
which  presents  to  the  mariner  a  sublime  spectacle, 
resembling,  at  a  distance,  whole  groups  of  churches, 
mantling  castles,  or  fleets  under  full  sail.  Every 
year,  but  especially  in  hot  seasons,  they  are  partially 
detached  from  their  seats,  and  whelmed  into  the 
deep  sea.  In  Davis's  Strait  those  icebergs  appear 
the  most  frequent :  and  about  Disco  Bay,  where  the 
soundings  exceed  300  fathoms,  masses  of  such  enor- 
mous dimensions  are  met  with,  that  the  Dutch  seamen 
compare  them  to  cities,  and  often  bestow  on  them 
the  familiar  names  of  Amsterdam  or  Haerlem.  They 
are  carried  towards  the  Atlantic  by  the  current  which 
generally  flows  from  the  north-east,  and  after  they 
reach  the  warmer  water  of  the  lower  latitudes  they 
rapidly  dissolve,  and  Anally  disappear,  probably  in 
the  space  of  a  few  months. 

The  blocks  of  fresh-water  ice  appear  black  as  they 
float ;  but  show  a  fine  emerald  or  beryl  hue  when 
brought  up  on  the  deck.  Though  perfectly  transpa- 
rent like  crystal,  they  sometimes  enclose  threads  or 
streamlets  of  air-bubbles,  extricated  in  the  act  of 
congelation.  This  pure  ice,  being  only  a  fifteenth 
part  lighter  than  fresh  water,  must  consequently 
project  about  one-tenth  as  it  swims  on  the  sea.  An 
iceberg  of  2000  feet  in  height  would  therefore,  after 
it  floated,  still  rise  200  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
water.  Such,  perhaps,  may  be  considered  as  nearly 
the  extreme  dimensions.  Those  mountains  of  ice 
may  even  acquire  more  elevation  at  a  distance  from 
land,  both  from  the  snow  which  falls  on  them,  and 
from  the  copious  vapours  which  precipitate  and  con- 
ceal on  their  surface.  But  in  general  tney  are  carried 
forward  by  the  current  which  sets  from  the  north- 
east into  the  Atlantic,  where,  bathed  in  a  warmer 
fluid,  they  rapidly  waste  and  dissolve.  It  may  be 
shown  by  experiment,  that  if  the  water  in  which 
they  float  had  only  the  temperature  of  42<^,  the  mass 


CLIMATE. 


33 


of  ice  would  lose  the  thickness  of  an  inch  every 
hour,  or  two  feet  in  a  day.  Supposing  the  surface 
of  the  sea  to  be  at  52<>,  the  daily  diminution  of  thick- 
ness would  be  doubled,  and  would  therefore  amount 
to  four  feet.  An  iceberg  having  600  feet  of  total 
elevation  would  hence,  on  this  probable  estimate, 
require  150  days  for  its  dissolution.  But  the  melting 
of  the  ice  would  be  greatly  accelerated  if  the  mass 
were  impelled  through  the  water  by  the  action  of 
winds.  A  velocity  of  only  a  mile  in  an  hour  would 
triple  the  ordinary  effect.  Hence,  though  large 
bodies  of  ice  are  often  found  near  the  banks  of  New- 
foundland, they  seldom  advance  farther,  or  pass 
beyond  the  48th  degree  of  latitude.  Within  the 
Arctic  regions  those  stupendous  blocks  remain,  by 
their  mere  inertia,  so  fixed  on  the  water,  as  com- 
monly to  serve  for  the  mooring  of  vessels  employed 
in  the  whale-fishery.  In  such  cases,  however,  it  is  a 
necessary  precaution  to  lengthen  the  cables,  and  ride 
at  some  distance  from  the  frozen  cliff;  because  the 
fragments  of  ice,  which  the  seamen  term  calves^  are 
frequently  detached  from  the  under  part  of  the  mass, 
and,  darting  upwards,  acquire  such  a  velocity  in 
their  ascent,  that  they  woidd  infallibly  strike  holes 
into  the  ship's  bottom. 

The  ice  produced  from  salt  water  is  whitish,  po- 
rous, and  almost  opaque.  It  is  so  dense,  from  the 
quantity  of  strong  biine  enclosed  in  its  substance, 
that,  when  floating  in  the  sea,  it  projects  only  one- 
fiftieth  part  above  the  surface.  The  porous  saline 
ice  has  a  variable  thickness,  yet  seldom  exceeding 
six  feet.  But  this  saline  ice  which,  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  covers  the  Arctic  seas,  is 
annually  formed  and  destroyed ;  a  small  portion  of 
it  only,  and  at  certain  seasons,  escaping  the  general 
wreck.  The  thaw  commonly  lasts  about  three 
months ;  and  during  that  time  the  heat  of  the  solar 
rays,  which,  though  oblique,  yet  act  with  unceasing 
energy,  whether  applied  directly  or  through  the  inter- 


r 


I'  f 


1 


34 


CLIMATE. 


:  I.. 


1    s 


vention  of  the  air  ot  the  water,  is  sufficient  for  the 
dissolution  of  all  the  ice  produced  in  the  course  of 
the  autumn,  the  winter,  and  the  spring.  It  may  be 
proved  bv  experiment  that,  under  the  Pole  itself,  the 
power  of  the  sun  at  the  solstice  could,  in  the  space 
of  a  week,  melt  a  stratum  of  five  inches  of  ice.  We 
may  hence  fairly  compute  the  annual  effect  to  be 
sufficient  for  thawing  to  the  depth  of  forty  inches. 
It  should  likewise  be  observed,  that,  owing  to  the 
prevailing  haziness  of  the  atmosphere  in  the  northern 
latitudes,  those  singular  cold  emanations  which 
always  dart  from  an  azure  sky,  and  in  the  more  tem- 
perate climates  diminish  the  calorific  action  of  the 
sun  often  by  one-fifth  part,  can  scarcely  exist.  On 
this  account,  perhaps  the  estimate  of  the  annual  de- 
struction of  Polar  ice  may  be  swelled  to  a  thickness 
of  four  feet. 

As  heat  is  absorbed  in  the  process  of  thawing,  so 
it  is  again  evolved  in  the  act  of  congelation.  The 
annual  formation  and  destruction  of  ice  within  the 
Arctic  circle,  is  hence  a  beautiful  provision  of  Nature 
for  mitigating  the  excessive  inequality  of  tempera- 
ture. Had  only  dry  land  been  there  opposed  to  the 
sun,  it  would  have  been  absolutely  scorched  by  his 
incessant  beams  in  summer,  and  pinched  in  the  dark- 
ness of  winter  by  the  most  intense  and  penetrating 
cold.  None  of  the  animal  or  vegetable  tribes  could 
have  at  all  supported  such  extremes.  But  in  the  ac- 
tual arrangement,  the  surplus  heat  of  summer  is 
spent  in  melting  away  the  ice ;  and  its  deficiency  in 
winter  is  partly  supplied  by  the  influence  of  the  pro- 
gress of  congelation.  As  long  as  ice  remains  to  thaw, 
or  water  to  freeze,  the  temperature  of  the  atmos- 
phere can  never  vary  beyond  certain  limits.  Such 
is  the  harmony  of  the  system ;  and  all  experience 
and  observation  forbid  us  to  believe  it  to  be  subject 
to  any  radical  change.  Some  years  may  chance  to 
form  more  ice  than  others,  or  to  melt  more  away ; 
but  it  were  idle  to  expect  any  thinjK  like  a  general  or 


i.  r 


CLIMATE. 


39 


for  the 
urse  of 
maybe 
self,  the 
le  space 
le.  We 
;t  to  be 

inches, 
r  to  the 
lorthern 
I  which 
ore  tem- 
1  of  the 
Lst.  On 
nual  de- 
lickness 

ivin^,  so 
n.  The 
thin  the 

Nature 
empera- 
i  to  the 
i  by  his 
le  dark- 
etrating 
Bs  could 

the  ac- 
[imer  is 
ency  in 
the  pro- 
to  thaw, 

atmos- 

Such 

^erience 

subject 
ance  to 

away; 
leralor 


permanent  disruption  of  the  glacial  crust  which  binds 
the  regions  of  the  north.  Even  were  this  ice  once 
removed,  a  similar  collection  would  soon  succeed, 
since  it  is  always  the  effect,  and  not  the  cause,  of  the 
disposition  of  the  atmosphere,  which  it  really  serves 
to  temper.  We  should  be  guilty  of  the  most  vicious 
reasoning  in  a  circle,  if  we  maintained  that  ice  first 
cooled  the  air,  and  that  this  cold  air  next  increased 
the  fields  of  ice. 

But,  whatever  maybe  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Polar 
ice,  they  cannot,  in  any  sensible  manner,  affect  the 
climates  of  the  lower  latitudes.  The  whole  circum- 
jacent space  where  frost  holds  his  reign,  bears  a  very 
small  proportion  to  the  surface  of  the  northern 
hemisphere.  Reckoning  from  the  parallel  of  sixty 
degrees,  it  would  not  exceed  the  eighth  part ;  but, 
since  the  gelid  region  hardly  extends  below  the  lati- 
tude of  seventy-five  degrees,  it  may  be  stated  at  the 
thirty-second  part  of  the  hemisphere.  On  the  sup- 
position, therefore,  that  the  Arctic  cold  were  all 
transferred  and  infused  into  the  atmosphere  of  the 
south,  it  could  yet  produce  no  visible  alteration  of 
climate. 

Even  if  we  imagined  with  Mr.  Scoresby,  that, 
during  the  years  1816  and  1817,  two  thousand  square 
leagues  of  ice  have  disappeared  in  the  Greenland 
seas  between  the  parallels  of  seventy-four  and  eighty 
degrees,  this  extent  would  still  scarcely  exceed  naif 
the  surface  of  Ireland.  It  may  be  calculated,  that 
the  loss  of  heat  on  our  globe,  occasioned  by  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  reckoning  this  only  equivalent  to 
a  complete  obscuration  for  the  space  of  a  single  hour,  is 
as  much  as  would  be  absorbed  by  the  thawing  of  a  cir- 
cle of  ice  500  miles  in  diameter,  and  150  feet  thick. 
This  quantity  surpasses  at  least  sixty  times  the  ice- 
fields dispersed  from  Greenland,  allowing  them  the 
mean  thickness  of  thirty  feet ;  and  yet  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  air  is  never  depressed  more  than  a  degree 
or  two  during  the  continuance  of  any  solar  eclipse. 


86 


CLIMAT£. 


i\f: 


'    1 


\y- 


/ 


I   ^i)| 


But  the  idea  is  quite  chimerical,  that  any  winds 
could  ever  transport  the  Polar  influence  to  our  shores. 
It  may  be  proved,  from  the  results  of  accurate  ex- 
periment, that  a  current  of  air  flowing  over  a  warmei 
surface,  whether  of  land  or  water,  becomes,  in  the 
^pace  of  an  hour,  penetrated  with  the  same  tempe- 
rature through  a  stratum  of  eighty  feet ;  though  the 
dmit  of  actual  contact,  or  of  mutual  attrition,  is  con- 
ined  to  a  surface  not  exceeding  the  600th  part  of  an 
mch  in  thickness.  If  we  assign  to  it  the  height  of 
i  mile,  which  is  a  most  ample  allowance,  it  would 
ose  all  its  sharpness,  and  acquire  the  standard  heat 
n  the  course  of  sixty-six  hours.  Admitting  this 
rind  to  travel  at  the  rate  even  of  twenty  miles  each 
lour,  it  would  consequently  spend  all  its  frigorific 
tction  in  a  tract  of  1320  miles.  The  gales  from  the 
iCmotest  north  must  thus  discharge  their  store  of 
•  sold  into  the  Gennan  Sea  or  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Nor 
could  such  impressions,  though  continued  through  a 
course  of  ages,  have  the  smallest  power  to  chill  the 
superficial  water ;  for  the  moment  any  portion  of  this 
was  cooled,  it  would,  from  its  increased  density,  sink 
down  into  the  vast  abyss.  The  surface  would  not 
be  affected  till  after  the  coolinr  had,  in  its  progress, 
pervaded  the  whole  mass  from  the  bottom  upwards. 
According  to  the  calculations  of  Laplace,  founded  on 
a  comparison  of  the  theory  of  tides  with  actual  ob- 
servation, the  mean  depth  of  the  ocean  exceeds  ten 
English  miles.  Supposing,  therefore,  a  wind  blowing 
from  some  northerly  point,  and  ten  degrees  colder 
than  the  water,  were  to  sweep  over  the  Atlantic  six 
months  every  year,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an 
hour,  it  would  take  220  years  to  cool  that  vast  body 
of  water  only  a  single  degree. 

Some  persons  have  imagined  that  the  mountains 
or  islands  of  ice,  which  are  occasionally  drifted  into 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  must  be  sufficient,  by  their  frigo- 
rific influence,  to  modify  the  character  of  our  climate. 
One  of  the  first  who  advanced  that  opinion  was  the 


'i 


■^'^#* 


y  winds 
shores, 
rate  ex- 
warmei 
,  in  the 
tempe- 
ugh  the 
,  is  con- 
irt  of  an 
dght  of 
t  would 
ird  heat 
ng  this 
les  each 
rigorific 
rom  the 
store  of 
n.  Nor 
irough  a 
;hUl  the 
n  of  this 
it/,  sink 
mid  not 
rogress, 
pwards. 
nded  on 
tual  ob- 
eds  ten 
)lowing 
colder 
ntic  six 
liles  an 
st  body 

luntains 
ted  into 
ir  frigo- 
;limate. 
vas  the 


CLIMATE. 


37 


ingenious  Richard  Bradley,  fellow  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety, and  professor  of  botany  in  the  university  of 
Cambridge.  In  "A  Survey  of  the  Ancient  Hus- 
bandry and  Gardening,  collected  from  the  Greek  and 
Roman  Writers,"  printed  in  octavo  at  London  in 
1725,  he  introduces  the  following  remarkable  pas- 
sage : — 

*♦  I  the  rather  mention  the  case  of  winds  becoming 
cold  by  mixing  with  the  effluvia  of  snow  or  ice,  be- 
cause I  have  made  some  remarks  upon  the  tempest- 
uous weather,  which  often  happens  about  the  end  of 
May,  or  in  June,  which  has  in  all  my  observations 
been  brought  in  by  westerly  winds ;  and  again,  I  as 
surely  find,  that  at  such  times  large  islands  of  ice  and 
snow  are  passing  to  the  southward  in  the  Western 
Ocean,  as  I  have  been  informed  by  several  captains 
of  ships  that  were  then  coming  from  our  plantations 
to  England.  Some  of  these  islands  are  so  large  as 
to  measure  sixty  miles  in  length,  and  yielding  so 
great  a  vapour,  that  for  a  day's  voyage  on  one  side  of 
them,  the  weather  has  been  so  hazy  that  the  mari- 
ners could  not  discover  what  they  were ;  and  this 
was  accompanied  with  so  much  cold,  that  they  ima- 
gined they  had  mistaken  in  their  accounts,  and  got 
several  degrees  too  far  towards  the  north ;  but  a  day 
or  two  explained  the  matter,  and  gave  them  an  op- 
portunity of  surveying  what  they  had  been  so  much 
surprised  at.  Now,  considering  the  extraordinary 
heat  of  the  sun  at  the  season  these  appear,  the  va- 
pour must  be  very  considerable  that  rises  from  them ; 
and  it  is  no  wonder  then,  that,  as  it  expands  itself,  it 
presses  the  air  with  violence  enough  to  cause  tem- 
pests and  carry  cold  along  with  it." 

But  a  little  reflection  will  convince  us  that  such 
remote  influence  on  our  climate  must  be  quite  insig- 
nificant. At  a  very  wide  estimation,  the  surface 
of  ice  exposed  to  the  winds  could  never  exceed  the 
thousandth  part  of  the  whole  expanse  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean ;  consequently  the  general  temperature  of  the 


11 

Hi 


f  i 


% 


*  ?  I 

i    "i; 


'        ft 

'I 

.hi 


* 

1  V  1  > 

\    ,-, 

'     I    ■ 

I  j 


hi 


38 


CLIMATE. 


I  i  r 

ni 

It  „;■ 


A  ; 


1 


■Si    ^ 


I' I 


.■  ,.t; 


air  would  not  be  altered  the  fortieth  part  of  a  degree. 
Nor  could  this  minute  impression  be  wafted  to  our 
shores,  being  invariably  spent  in  the  length  of  the 
voyage.  The  opinion  which  Mr.  Bradley  entertained 
near  a  hundred  years  ago  might  have  been  tolerated 
in  the  infancy  of  physical  science ;  but  that  the  same 
notion  should  be  revived,  and  proclaimed  with  con- 
fidence at  this  day,  may  well  excite  surprise. 

These  reasonings,  which  suggested  themselves  on 
the  occasion  of  the  sailing  of  the  first  expedition  sent 
by  government  to  explore  the  Arctic  seas,  have  been 
sin^arly  confirmed  by  the  results  of  the  late 
daring  voyages^  Captain  Parry,  by  the  most  vigi- 
lant exertions,  indeed,  succeeded,  during  the  brief 
interval  of  an  open  season,  to  advance  from  Baffin's 
Bay,  by  Lancaster  Sound,  above  400  miles  west- 
ward, through  floating  masses  of  ice,  on  the  pa- 
rallel of  76  degrees;  but  this  distance  is  probably 
not  the  third  part  of  the  whole  space  between  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  All  the  subsequent  at- 
tempts of  that  able  navigator  to  penetrate  any  farther 
in  the  same  direction  have  proved  unsuccessful ;  and 
his  last  arduous  scheme  of  reaching  the  Pole,  by 
dragging  boats  over  an  expanse  of  rough  and  broken 
ice,  utterly  failed.  The  utmost  labour  and  incited 
exertions  of  the  crews  scarcely  enabled  him  to  pro- 
ceed, in  1827,  three  degrees  northward  from  Spitz- 
bergen,  and  attain  the  latitude  of  82°  45',  not  far  be- 
yond the  usual  resort  of  the  Greenland  whalers. 
Captain  Weddell,  without  the  stimulant  of  national 
reward,  had,  four  years  before,  the  resolution  to 
penetrate  to  a  very  great  height  in  the  opposite  hemi- 
sphere, which  is  always  considered  colder  and  less 
accessible  than  the  northern,  having  advanced  to  the 
latitude  of  74°  15'  in  an  open  sea. 

On  the  hypothesis  that  the  quantities  of  ice  which 
encumber  the  Arctic  seas  have  been  accumulating 
for  a  long  succession  of  years,  it  is  assumed  as  a 
fact    that  throughout  Europe  a  milder  and  more 


he 


CLIMATE. 


39 


Jegree. 
to  our 
of  the 
rtained 
derated 
le  same 
th  con- 

ilves  on 
on  sent 
ve  been 
le   late 
St  vigi- 
le  brief 
Baffin's 
s  west- 
the  pa- 
Tobably 
een  the 
uent  at- 
'  farther 
ul;  and 
»ole,  by 
.  broken 
incited 
to  pro- 
i  Spitz- 
t  far  be- 
vhalers. 
lational 
ition  to 
te  hemi- 
ind  less 
d  to  the 

e  which 
lulating 
ed  as  a 
d  more 


genial  climate  had  formerly  prevailed.  A  closer  in- 
spection of  the  details,  however,  will  show  this  sup- 
position to  be  destitute  of  any  solid  support.  One 
hears  continual  complaints,  indeed,  of  tlie  altered 
condition  of  the  seasons,  especially  from  elderly  per- 
sons, whose  bodily  frame  has  b<>^  .ine  more  suscepti- 
ble to  the  impressions  of  cold ;  but  similar  lamenta- 
tions have  been  repeated  by  the  poets  and  the  vulgar 
from  the  earliest  times.  If  we  listened  implicitly  to 
such  querulous  declaimers,  we  should  believe  that 
nature  has  spent  all  her  fires,  and  is  hastening  fast 
into  decay.  Immense  forests,  it  is  said,  anciently 
clothed  the  highest  tracts  of  this  island  and  other 
northern  countries,  where  scarcely  a  tree  can  now 
be  made  to  grow.  The  period  of  vintage  was  in 
former  ages  several  weeks  earlier  in  France  than  at 
present ;  vineyards  were  planted  during  the  time  of 
the  Romans  in  various  parts  of  the  south  of  England, 
where  at  this  day  even  hops  are  raised  with  diffi- 
culty ;  and  the  sides  of  many  hills  in  Scotland  bear 
evident  traces  of  the  plough,  which  have  been  long 
since  abandoned  irretrievably  to  the  dusky  heath. 

But,  in  answer  to  such  allegations,  it  may  be  ob- 
served, that  a  patch  of  wood  will  not  thrive  in  cold 
situations,  merely  for  want  of  the  shelter  which  is 
afforded  by  extensive  plantations.  In  Sweden  and 
Norway,  which  are  mostly  covered  with  natural 
forests,  it  has  become  an  object  of  police  to  prevent 
their  indiscriminate  destruction.  The  timber  in  those 
sylvan  countries  is  cut  at  stated  periods  of  its  growth, 
and  in  detached  portions ;  the  vacant  spaces  being 
left  as  nurseries,  embosomed  amid  an  expanse  of  tall 
trees.  Some  places  in  Sweden,  where  the  forests 
have  been  accidentally  destroyed  by  fire,  present  the 
image  of  sterility  and  of  wide  desolation. 

It  is  probable  that  the  vines  grown  in  ancient  times 
were  coarser  and  hardier  plants  than  those  which 
are  now  cultivated.  A  similar  observation  extends 
to  all  the  products  of  gardening.    A  succession  of 


0 


40 


CLIMATE. 


¥'■■ 


'f.    '^' 


lip' '.■IV 


■'!■ 

'         ,■■'■' 

1  , 

' 

diligent  culture  softens  the  chaiacter  of  the  vegeta- 
ble tribes,  and  renders  them  more  delicate,  while  it 
heightens  the  flavour  of  their  fruit.  The  Roman 
soldiers  stationed  in  Britain  would  naturally  prefer 
wine,  their  accustomed  beverage,  however  harsh  and 
poor,  to  the  cervisiay  or  unpalatable  ale  brewed  by 
the  rude  arts  of  the  natives. 

The  marks  of  tillage  left  on  our  northern  hills 
prove  only  the  wretched  state  of  agriculture  at  a  re- 
mote period.  For  want  of  a  proper  system  of  rota- 
tion, and  the  due  application  of  manure,  the  starving 
tenantry  were  then  tempted  to  tear  up  with  the  plough 
every  virgin  spot  they  could  find,  and,  after  extract- 
ing from  it  a  pitiful  crop  or  two  of  oats,  to  abandon 
it  to  a  lasting  sterility.  The  cattle  in  those  days, 
having  no  sort  of  provender  through  the  winter  but 
dry  straw,  were  quite  feeble  and  exhausted  in  the 
spring.  The  soil,  too,  was  very  stiff,  from  want 
of  repeated  and  seasonable  tillage.  Under  sucii  cir- 
cumstances, it  affords  no  proof  of  any  great  heat, 
that  the  slothful  peasants,  oppressed  with  a  load  of 
clothes,  usually  began  their  operations  in  the  field 
before  sunrise,  while  preparing  the  ground  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  barley-seed. 

It  is  very  difiicult  to  ascertain  the  precise  condi- 
tion of  the  weather  in  distant  ages.  'Hie  thermome- 
ter was  not  invented  till  1590,  by  the  celebrated 
Sanctorio;  nor  was  that  valuable  instrument  re- 
duced to  a  correct  standard  before  the  year  1724,  by 
the  skill  of  Fahrenheit.  We  have  hence  no  observa- 
tions of  temperature  which  go  farther  back  than  a 
century.  Prior  to  this  period,  we  must  glean  our  in- 
fonnation  from  the  loose  and  scanty  notices  which 
are  scattered  through  the  old  chronicles  relative  to 
the  state  of  the  harvest,  the  quality  of  the  vintage, 
or  the  endurance  of  frost  and  snow  in  the  winter. 
Great  allowance,  however,  should  be  made  for  the 
spirit  of  exaggeration  and  the  love  of  the  marvellous 
which  infect  ^1  those  rude  historical  monuments. 


CLIMATE. 


41^ 


On  glancing  over  the  incidental  notices  of  the  state 
of  the  weather,  it  is  obvious  that  no  material  change 
has  taken  place  for  the  last  thousand  years  in  the 
climate  of  Europe ;  but  we  may  conjecture  that  it 
has  gradually  acquired  rather  a  milder  character ;  at 
least  its  excessive  severity  appears  on  the  whole  to 
be  of  rarer  occurrence.  The  weather  seems  not  to 
affect  any  precise  course  of  succession,  although 
two  or  more  years  of  remarkable  heat  or  cold  often 
follow  consecutively ;  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that 
series  of  atmospheric  changes,  however  complicated 
and  perplexing,  are  as  determinate  in  their  nature  as 
the  revolutions  of  the  celestial  bodies.  When  the 
science  of  meteorology  is  more  advanced,  we  shall, 
perhaps,  by  discovering  a  glimpse  of  those  vast 
cycles,  which  result  from  the  varied  aspects  of  the 
sun  combined  with  the  feebler  influence  of  the  moon, 
be  at  length  enabled  to  predict  with  some  degree  of 
probability,  the  condition  of  future  seasons.  The  in- 
termediate period  of  nine  years,  or  the  semi-revolu- 
tion nearly  of  the  lunar  nodes  and  apogee,  proposed 
by  Toaldo,  see.ns  not  to  be  altogether  destitute  of 
foundation.  Thus,  of  the  years  remarkably  cold, 
1622  was  succeeded,  after  the  interval  of  four  periods 
or  36  years,  by  1658,  whose  severity  lasted  through 
the  following  year.  The  same  interval  brings  us  to 
1695,  and  five  periods  more  extend  to  1740, — a  very  fa- 
mous cold  year  ;  three  periods  now  come  down  to  1767, 
nine  years  more  to  1776,  and  eighteen  years  more  to 
1794,  the  cold  continuing  through  1795.  Of  the  hot 
years  it  may  be  observed,  that  four  periods  of  nine 
years  extend  from  1616  to  1652,  and  three  such  again 
to  1679.  From  1701  to  1718  there  was  an  interval  of 
seventeen  years,  or  very  nearly  two  periods,  while 
three  periods  reach  to  1745,  another  period  to  1754, 
and  one  more  falls  on  1763 ;  and  from  1779  to  1788, 
there  are  just  nine  years.  The  year  1818  would 
therefore  correspond  to  1701,  1719,  and  1746,  and 
consequently  very  nearly  to  1718.    Again,  the  years 

D2 


'it: 


i 

# 

;? 

V 

i  ■■  I 

^'^ 

\ 

Y: 

* 

r    ^' 

ft 

1 

1  i 


11; 


'lii 


M 


4« 


CLIMATE. 


1784, 1793, 1802,  and  1811,  at  the  intervals  of  succes- 
sive periods,  were  all  of  them  remarkably  wann.  A 
cycle  of  54  years,  including  therefore  six  of  these 
subordinate  periods,  has  lately  been  proposed  with 
much  confidence,  but  apparently  on  slender  grounds. 

If  the  climate  had  undergone  any  real  change  in 
the  more  temperate  parts  of  Europe,  a  corresponding 
alteration,  with  very  distinct  features,  must  inevitably 
have  taken  place  in  the  Arctic  regions.  But  a  dispas- 
sionate inquiry  discovers  no  circumstances  which  at 
all  clearly  point  at  such  a  conclusion.  On  this  head 
we  may  readily  satisfy  om"selves,  by  a  short  retro- 
spect of  the  pnncipal  facts  which  have  been  recorded 
by  voyagers. 

Greenland,  in  its  position  and  general  outline,  ap- 
pears to  resemble  the  vast  promontory  of  South  Ame- 
rica. From  Cape  Farewell,  a  small  island,  divided 
from  the  shore  by  a  narrow  inlet  called  Staaten 
Hoek,  in  the  latitude  of  60°,  it  stretches,  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  about  200  miles  to  Cape  Desola- 
tion, and  then  nearly  northward  to  Good  Haven,  in 
latitude  65°,  where  it  inclines  nearly  a  point  towards 
the  east,  as  far  as  the  island  of  Disco,  which  occupies 
a  spacious  bay,  between  the  latitudes  of  67°  and  71°, 
in  Davis's  Strait.  Thence  the  continent  extends 
almost  due  north,  beyond  the  latitude  of  76°,  till  it  is 
lost  in  the  recesses  of  Baffin's  Bay.  On  the  other 
side,  Greenland  stretches  about  north-north-east,  300 
miles,  but  with  a  great  sinuosity,  till  nearly  op- 
posite to  Iceland,  in  the  latitude  of  64°,  and  now 
advances  almost  north-east  to  the  latitude  of  76°, 
when,  suddenl]^  bending  to  the  north,  it  holds  this  di- 
rection beyond  Spitzbergen  and  the  latitude  of  80°. 
The  coast  is  every  whejre  bold  and  rocky,  like  that 
of  Norway ;  and  the  interior  of  the  country  consists 
of  clustering  lofty  mountains,  covered  with  eternal 
snows.  But  the  western  side,  which  forms  Davis's 
Strait,  is  indented  with  numerous  bights,  creeks,  and 
fiords  or  firths,  which,  for  the  space  of  two  or  three 
months  each  year,  look  verdant,  and  yield  tolerable 


i 


CLIBIATE. 


43 


pasturage.  The  eastern  shore,  again,  which  pro- 
perly bounds  the  Greenland  seas,  can  rarely  be  ap- 
proached by  the  whalers,  as  the  accumulated  stream 
of  ice,  which  in  summer  is  constantly  drifting  from 
the  north-east,  creates  a  formidable  barrier.  The 
position  of  this  icy  boundary,  though  nearly  parallel 
to  the  land,  is  not  absolutely  fixed,  but  varies  within 
certain  limits  in  different  years.  The  late  survey 
by  Mr.  Scoresby  was  therefore  not  very  satisfactory. 
In  Davis's  Strait,  the  whalers  generally  resort  to 
Disco  Bay,  or  push  farther  north ;  sometimes  as  far 
as  the  latitude  of  76°,  to  the  variable  margin  of  the 
great  icy  continent.  On  the  other  side  of  Green- 
land, about  the  meridian  of  eight  degrees  east  from 
Greenwich,  the  ice,  in  warm  seasons,  retires  to  the 
latitude  of  80°,  beyond  Hakluyt's  Headland,  at  the 
extremity  of  Spitzbergen ;  while,  at  other  times,  it 
advances  as  far  south  on  the  same  line  as  the  lati- 
tude of  70°,  enveloping  the  whole  of  that  island,  but 
forming  below  it  a  wide  bay,  called  the  Whalffisher's 
Bight,  on  the  parallel  of  Bear  Island.  The  former 
are  called  apen,  and  the  latter  close  seasons.  In  open 
seasons,  the  ships  employed  in  these  fisheries  find  a 
channel  from  20  to  50  leagues  wide,  through  which 
they  shoot  forward  along  the  shores  of  Spitzbergen, 
till  they  reach  the  latitude  of  78°  or  79°,  where  the 
whales  are  most  abundant.  The  chase  of  these  ani- 
mals, in  the  Greenland  seas  at  least,  seldom  lasts 
above  two  months,  commencing  generally  at  the  end 
of  April,  and  terminating  with  June,  when  they  usu 
ally  disappear,  and  the  prevalence  of  dense  fogs  ren- 
ders the  navigation  very  dangerous.  In  Davis's 
Strait,  the  fishery  continues  often  for  two,  or  even 
three  months  longer.  Mr.  Scoresby  thin^  it  were 
better  if  our  Greenland  ships,  like  the  Dutch  and 
other  foreigners,  began  their  voyage  somewhat  later 
than  has  become  the  practice.  In  close  seasons,  the 
hardy  navigator  is  obliged,  with  imminent  peril  and 
hazard,  to  impel  his  ship,  by  boring  under  a  press 


(. 


*^- 


44 


CLIMATE. 


,3     f . 


?!     :1 
1      ., 


/  '', 


of  sail,  and  assisted  by  ropes  and  saws,  through  the 
drift-ice  which  borders  the  great  barrier,  endeavouring 
to  follow  every  vein  of  water  that  runs  nearly  in  the 
required  direction.  If  he  fail  in  this  attempt,  he  must 
forego  the  chance  of  a  profitable  voya^^e,  and  content 
himself  with  the  humbler  pursuit  of  catcliing  seals. 

The  space  over  which  the  line  of  ice  may  be  sup- 
posed to  oscillate  in  the  Greenland  seas,  extends  1400 
miles  from  Cape  Farewell  to  200  miles  beyond  Jan 
Mayen's  Island,  which  it  includes,  and  has  a  mean 
breadth  of  about  80  miles.  Such  is  the  extent  of 
the  mere  surplus  ice  formed  and  dissolved  from  year 
to  year, — exceeding  the  whole  surface  of  Great  Bri- 
tain. Hence  the  quantity  melted  or  liberated  during 
the  years  1816  and  1817  bore  no  very  considerable 
proportion  to  the  ordinary  fluctuating  mass.  It  is 
therefore  evident,  that  whatever  may  be  the  casual 
variations  of  the  frozen  expanse,  no  mighty  alteration 
has  yet  taken  place  in  the  climate  and  condition  of 
the  Arctic  seas. 

If  we  compare  the  journals  of  former  navigators, 
we  shall  be  convinced  that  all  the  changes  of  the 
Polar  ice  are  periodical,  and  are  again  repeated  at 
no  very  distant  intervals  of  time.  We  may  pass  over 
the  pretensions  of  some  Dutch  captains,  who  alleged 
that  they  had  been  carried  by  winds  or  currents  as 
far  north  as  the  latitude  of  88°,  or  even  that  of  89°  40', 
and  consequently  only  twenty  miles  from  the  Pole ; 
since  their  estimate,  at  all  times  nide,  from  observa- 
tions with  the  fore-staff,  was  then  founded  on  mere 
dead  reckoning  after  a  continuation  of  foggy  weather. 
Davis,  in  1587,  ascended,  in  the  strait  which  de- 
servedly bears  his  name,  to  the  latitude  of  72°  12', 
where  he  found  the  variation  of  the  compass  to  be 
82°  west,  or  nearly  the  same  as  at  present.  In  1616, 
Baffin  advanced,  in  the  same  quarter,  as  high  as  the 
latitude  of  78  degrees.  Hudson  had,  nine  years 
before,  penetrated  in  the  GreeMand  seas  to  the  lati- 
tude of  81°,  and  s^en  supposed  land  as  high  as  that 


CLIMATE. 


45 


mere 
ather. 
h  de- 
Ma', 
to  be 
1616, 
IS  the 


of  82°  lying  to  the  north-east  of  Spitzbergen.  But 
it  is  mortifying  to  remark  how  little  progress  has 
been  made  in  geographical  discovery  since  those 
early  and  intrepid  adventurers  explored  the  Arctic 
regions  with  their  humble  barks,  which  seldom  ex- 
ceeded the  size  of  fifty  tons.  We  must  pass  over 
a  very  long  interval  to  obtain  authentic  information. 
In  1751,  Captain  M*Callam,  whom  Mr.  Barrington 
calls  a  scientific  seaman,  sailed  without  obstruction 
from  Haklu3rt's  Headland  as  high  as  the  latitude  of 
83  i°,  where  he  found  an  open  sea ;  and  the  weather 
being  fine,  nothing  hindered  him  from  proceeding 
farther,  but  his  responsibility  to  its  owners  for  the 
safety  of  the  ship.  Captain  Wilson,  about  the  end 
of  June,  1754,  having  traversed  floating  ice  from  the 
latitude  of  74°  to  81°,  at  last  found  the  sea  quite  clear 
as  far  as  he  could  descry ;  and  he  advanced  to  the 
latitude  of  83°,  till,  not  meeting  with  any  whales,  and 
beginning  to  apprehend  some  danger,  he  shaped  back 
his  course.  At  this  very  time.  Captain  Guy,  after  four 
days  of  foggy  weather,  was  likewise  carried  to  the 
same  point.  The  Polar  seas  at  this  period  must 
indeed  have  been  remarkably  open ;  for  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  and  best-authenticated  voyages 
was  performed  in  1754  by  Mr.  Stephens,  a  very  skil- 
ful and  accurate  obser\'er,  whose  testimony  is  put 
beyond  all  manner  of  doubt  by  the  cool  judgnient  of 
the  late  astronomer-royal.  Dr.  Maskelyne.  This 
navigator  informed  him,  that  about  the  end  of  May, 
he  was  driven  off  Spitzbergen  by  a  southerly  wind, 
which  blew  for  several  days,  till  he  had  reached  the 
latitude  of  84i° ;  and  that  in  the  whole  of  this  run 
he  met  with  little  ice  and  no  drift-wood,  and  did  not 
find  the  cold  to  be  anywise  excessive.  In  different 
subsequent  years,  the  Greenland  whalers  have  ad- 
vanced to  the  latitude  of  81  or  82  degrees.  This  was 
accomplished  even  in  1766 ;  although,  according  to 
Kerguelin,  the  whole  space  between  Iceland  and  the 
opposite  coast  was  then  frozen  over.    The  year 


'  .  i 


46 


CLIMATE. 


M. 


!f'^ 


1773,  or  that  in  which  Captain  Phipps  performed  his 
voyage,  was  still  more  favourable  for  approaching 
towards  the  North  Pole.  In  1806,  the  elder  Mr. 
Scoresby  ascended  to  the  latitude  of  81°  50' ;  but  in 
the  following  year  he  could  not  proceed  farther  than 
the  parallel  of  78i°.  In  1811,  the  liigher  latitudes 
were  again  accessible ;  and,  after  a  short  interval, 
the  summers  of  1815, 1816,  and  1817  are  represented 
as  open  seasons ;  though  none  of  the  whalers  have 
now  penetrated  so  far  into  the  north  as  had  been  done 
in  many  former  years,  and  particularly  in  1754. 

In  this  plain  statement,  one  can  perceive  no  de- 
cided symptoms  of  any  general  or  progressive  ten- 
dency towards  a  dissolution  of  the  Polar  ice.  The 
frozen  border  alters  its  position  from  one  year  to 
another,  and  probably  retmns  again  to  the  same 
limits  after  certain  short  periods  of  time.  Such  fluc- 
tuations are  analogous  to  the  incessant  changes  which 
affect  the  state  of  the  weather  in  the  more  temperate 
regions.  The  complex  system  of  winds  moulds  the 
(;limate,  and  varies  the  features  of  the  seasons  over 
the  globe.  It  is  a  common  remark  of  those  who  fre- 
quent the  Polar  seas,  that  they  find  always  the  least 
obstruction  from  ice  when  the  preceding  winter  has 
been  very  severe  in  the  more  southern  latitudes.  In 
the  year  1766,  though  the  frost  had  proved  most  in- 
tense through  the  rest  of  Europe,  the  whalers  reached 
a  high  latitude  ;  and,  not  to  multiply  instances,  the 
three  seasons  preceding  1818,  reckoned  very  open, 
succeeded  to  winters  notoriously  cold  and  protracted. 
Nor  is  it  difficult  to  discern  the  reason  of  this  seeming 
paradox ;  for  our  severe  winters  are  occasioned  by 
the  prevalence  of  northerly  winds,  which  must  arrive 
at  the  Polar  seas  from  the  south,  and  consequently 
tr  iisport  so  much  warmth  to  them  as-  may  check  the 
usual  rigour  of  the  frost. 

The  main  argument,  however,  brought  to  prove  the 
deterioration  of  the  Arctic  climate,  is  drawn  from  the 
supposed  existence  of  a  colony,  which  had  once 


!,^llf 


CLIMATE. 


47 


5d 


ethe 
the 
once 


flourished  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland,  but  has, 
for  several  centuries,  become  extinct ;  all  access  to 
its  remains  being  at  length  completely  barred  by  the 
accumulation  of  ice.  This  tale,  which  seems  to 
have  owed  its  birth  to  Torfaeus,  the  historian  of  Nor- 
way, has  obtained  very  general  credence.  Yet,  a 
sober  examination  of  the  early  Sagas^  or  northern 
chronicles,  so  full  of  wonder  and  fable,  will  show 
that  there  is  no  solid  reason  for  entertaining  such  a 
notion,  or  believing  that  the  first  settlement  of  Green- 
land was  made  on  the  east  side  of  the  continent 
The  whole  contexture  of  the  original  narrative  indi- 
cates the  very  opposite  conclusion. 

After  the  North  had  ceased  to  send  forth  her  nu- 
merous swarms  upon  the  fertile  provinces  of  the 
Roman  empire,  the  Scandinavian  nations,  prompted 
by  their  peculiar  situation,  betook  themselves  to  a 
life  of  maritime  adventure.  Those  bold  and  hardy 
pirates  visited  every  sea,  and  pillaged,  during  a 
course  of  .  3aily  three  hundred  years,  all  the  coasts 
of  Eurot  '^  T^  the  extremity  of  Scotland  to  the 
shores  of  .  i'  ^^.  During  the  first  half  of  the  ninth 
century,  they  conquered  the  Orkneys,  the  Shetland 
and  Western  Isles — obtained  possession  of  Ireland 
— plundered  England  and  France — and  extended  their 
ravages  to  Italy.  In  876,  the  Northmen,  or  Nor- 
mands,  extorted  from  the  weakness  of  the  French 
king  the  cession  of  the  fine  province  of  Neustria, 
where  they  quietly  settled;  while  another  party 
of  these  fierce  invaders  had  occupied  the  fertile 
coast  of  Esthonia,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Baltic. 

But  tlie  visits  of  those  intrepid  navigators  were  not 
confined  to  the  richer  countries  of  the  south.  They 
carried  ravens  with  them,  for  the  purpose  of  discover- 
ing distant  land,  by  the  direction  of  the  flight  of  those 
powerful  and  sagacious  birds.  In  861,  Nadodd,  a 
roving  pirate,  in  one  of  his  voyages  in  the  northern 
seas,  happened  to  be  cast  away  on  an  island  which  he 
oiled  Siiowland.    Three  years  afterward,  Gardar  and 


.  y^.i 


h 


4B 


CLIMATE. 


Flocke,  two  Swedes,  visited  it ;  and  having  found  a 
great  quantity  of  drift-ice  collected  on  the  north  side 
of  it,  they  gave  it  the  name  of  Iceland,  which  it  still 
bears.  But  in  874,  Ingolf  and  Leif,  two  famous  Nor- 
wegian adventurers,  carried  a  colony  to  this  inhospi- 
table region,  the  latter  having  enriched  it  with  the 
booty  which  he  had  ravaged  from  England.  Other 
emigrants,  whom  the  disorders  of  the  times  drove 
successively  from  home,  resorted  in  crowds  to  the 
new  settlement,  which  became  very  considerable  in 
the  space  of  a  few  years. 

Iceland  itself  was  able,  after  the  progress  of  about  a 
century,  to  send  out  likewise  her  colonies.  Thor- 
wald,  a  proud  and  opulent  Norwegian  chief,  who  had 
been  lately  banished  thither  from  the  court  for  some 
murder  committed  by  him,  soon  died  in  exile,  leaving 
his  wealth  and  his  restless  spirit  to  his  son  Eric 
Raude,  or  the  Red.  This  youth,  actuated  by  the  same 
vengeful  passions,  killed  one  of  his  neighbours  in  a 
fight,  and  was  obliged  to  withdraw  himself  from  Ice- 
land for  the  space  of  three  years.  In  982,  Eric 
sailed  in  quest  of  adventure  and  discovery.  In- 
structed by  the  reports  of  former  navigators,  he 
directed  his  course  towards  the  south-west;  and, 
after  a  quick  run,  he  descried  two  lofty  mountains, 
the  one  covered  with  snow  and  the  other  cased  with 
ice,  which  he  called  Huitserken  and  Blaaserken,  or 
the  White  Shirt  and  the  Blue  Shirt,  and  soon  reached 
a  headland  which  he  doubled ;  and  having  entered  a 
spacious  creek,  he  spent  the  winter  on  a  pleasant 
adjacent  island.  In  the  following  season,  pursuing 
his  discoveries,  he  explored  the  continent,  and  was 
delighted  with  the  fresnness  and  verdure  of  its  coast. 
Contrasting  this  new  country  with  the  dark  rocks  of 
Iceland,  he  bestowed  on  it  the  flattering  appellation 
of  Greenland ;  and,  on  his  return,  invited  settlers  to 
join  him,  by  circulating  the  most  glowing  and  exag- 
gerated descriptions.  With  twenty-five  vessels  he 
sailed  back  again ;  but  of  these  only  fourteen  reached 


W 


CLIMATE* 


49 


their  destination.  This  colony  was  soon  augmented, 
by  the  arrival  of  other  adventurers,  not  only  from 
Iceland,  but  from  the  Orkneys  and  other  islands 
planted  by  the  Norwegians.  In  the  year  999,  Leif, 
a  son  of  Eric  Raude,  having  visited  the  court  of 
Norway,  was  induced,  by  the  zealous  and  earnest 
solicitation  of  King  Olaf  Tryggeson,  to  embrace  the 
Christian  faith ;  and,  carrying  with  him  some  monks, 
he  found,  through  their  ministry,  no  great  difficulty 
in  persuading  his  father  and  the  rest  of  the  settlers 
to  forsake  the  rites  of  paganism. 

The  first  colony  having  extended  itself  along  the 
coast  to  a  wide  firth,  another  settlement  beyond  that 
boundary  was  established  farther  towards  the  west. 
The  former,  called  Oestre  Bygd^  or  the  Eastern  Settle- 
ment,  is  said  to  have  mcluded,  in  its  most  flourishing 
state,  twelve  parishes  and  two  convents;  and  the 
latter,  termed  Vestre  Bygd,  or  the  Western  Settlement, 
contained  four  parishes.  The  colonists  of  Greenland 
were  compelled  to  lead  a  life  of  hardship  and  severe 
privations.  They  dwelt  in  hovels  surrounded  by 
mountains  of  perpetual  ice ;  they  never  tasted  bread, 
but  subsisted  on  the  fish  which  they  caught,  joined  to 
a  little  milk  obtained  from  their  starving  cows ;  and, 
with  seal-skins  and  the  tusks  of  the  walrus,  they  pur- 
chased, from  the  traders  who  occasionally  visited 
them,  the  wood  required  for  fuel  and  the  constriction 
of  their  huts. 

Combining  the  several  circumstances  together,  it 
seems  clear  that  the  original  colony  of  Greenland 
began  about  the  southern  promontory,  near  Cape 
Farewell,  and  stretched  along  the  coast  in  a  north- 
westerly direction.  Farther  north,  and  probably  as 
high  as  the  latitude  of  60**,  the  second  settlement  was 
formed.  For  some  centuries  both  of  them  main- 
tained a  sort  of  commercial  intercourse  with  Nor- 
way; but  this  trade  became  after^vard  very  much 
reduced,  in  consequence  of  its  being  seized  as  an 

E 


Ml 


'  'i   fil 


it.^^ 


J:       i 


50 


CLIMATE. 


exclusive  privilege  of  the  Danish  court.  About  the 
year  1376,  the  natives  of  the  country,  or  Esquimaux 
invaders,  whom  the  Norwegian  settlers  had  in  con- 
tempt called  Skrcellings  or  Dwarfs,  attacked  the 
western  colony,  which  now  claimed  the  assistance 
of  its  elder  brother.  The  scanty  population,  how- 
ever, was  enfeebled  by  such  repeated  alarms;  and 
that  dreadful  pestilence,  termed  the  Black  Death, 
which  raged  over  Europe  from  the  year  1402  to  1404, 
at  last  extended  its  ravages  to  Greenland,  and  nearly 
completed  the  destruction.  In  fertile  regions  the 
waste  of  the  human  species  is  always  quickly  re- 
paired; but  poor  and  barren  countries  can  seldom 
recover  from  the  depression  of  such  severe  calami- 
ties. The  colonies  which  occupied  Greenland  appear 
to  have  languished  near  one  hundred  years  afterward, 
till  they  became  finally  extinct  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  sixteenth  century. 

But  a  notion  has  very  generally  prevailed,  that  only 
♦he  western  settlement  of  Greenland  had  perished, 
while  the  eastern  was  merely  secluded  from  commu- 
nication with  the  rest  of  the  world  by  a  vast  barrier 
of  ice,  at  length  accumulated  on  its  shores.  The 
only  question  lately  entertained  was,  whether  these 
ill-fated  colonists  have  survived  the  catastrophe,  or 
have  been  suddenly  entombed  in  ice  and  snow,  as 
the  unhappy  citizens  of  Herculaneum  were  anciently 
involved  in  a  dense  shower  of  volcanic  ashes.  Tre- 
mendous stories  are  told  of  the  east  side  of  Green- 
land being  now  tenanted  by  giants  and  stalking 
ghosts.  For  more  than  a  century  past  the  court  of 
Denmark  has,  at  different  times,  despatched  ships  to 
search  after  its  lost  colony,  which,  evidently  under 
the  impression  of  superstitious  awe,  found  it  impos- 
sible to  penetrate  on  that  enchanted  coast  farther 
than  Cape  Discord,  in  the  latitude  of  61°.  But  in 
favourable  seasons  small  boats  can,  without  much 
difficulty,  creep  alon;  the  shore  to  a  much  higher 


CLIMATE. 


51 


parallel.  If  any  settlers  had  ever  occupied  the  nar- 
row bays,  they  might  surely  have  escaped  either  in 
their  canoes  or  in  sledges. 

The  supposed  existence  of  a  colony  on  the  east 
side  of  Greenland  is  clearly  a  fable,  originating  in  a 
misapprehension  of  the  import  of  the  designations 
applied  severally  to  the  two  settlements.  The  one 
first  made  lay  no  doubt  to  the  east,  as  well  as  to  the 
south  of  the  other;  but  the  ships  which  resorted 
from  Norway  held  a  westeilv  course  for  them  both. 
Between  them  a  mutu^* ♦  *n  ourse  appears  lil ' "~'?c 
to  have  been  maintaii.dd,  jch  surely  couiv.  not 
have  taken  place  had  they  been  divided  by  a  chain 
of  lofty  and  impassable  mountains  covered  with 
eternal  snow.  Traces  of  those  ancient  settlements 
are  besides  observed  even  at  present  scattered  along 
the  western  shores  of  Greenland,  as  low  down  as  the 
latitude  of  61°,  though  not  corresponding  altogethei 
with  the  poetical  descriptions  of  the  Icelandic  Sa- 
gas. Except  the  very  slight  remains  of  a  church, 
the  only  vestiges  now  remaining  consist  of  low 
naked  walls,  which  had  served  as  pens  for  sheltering 
the  cattle.  r 

It  may  be  safely  affirmed  that  the  settlements 
which,  during  the  last  hundred  years,  the  Danes 
have  been  forming  at  various  points  on  the  west  side 
of  Greenland,  are  more  numerous  and  thriving  than 
those  which  existed  at  any  former  period.  They 
consist  of  twenty-one  colonies,  stretching  over  an 
extent  of  800  miles.  The  first  establishment  is  only 
a  single  family,  occupying  Bear  Island,  a  little  to 
the  east  of  Cape  Farewell.  Ten  other  hamlets, 
composed  chiefly  of  Moravians,  are  planted  at  differ- 
ent points,  from  the  latitude  of  60°  to  that  of  68°. 
Three  settlements  are  distributed  round  Disco  Bay, 
about  the  latitude  of  69° :  and  seven  more  have  been 
extended  thence  as  far  as  the  latitude  of  73°.  So 
far,  therefore,  from  the  population  having  been  ex- 
tirpated by  the  increased  severity  of  the  climate,  the 


62 


ANIMAL    LIFE. 


'Z  1:1  ^  K 


truth  appears  to  be,  that  the  present  establishments 
on  the  coast  of  Greenland  extend  ten  degrees  farther 
north  than  the  ancient  settlements  at  their  most 
flourishing  period.  This  advance  of  the  colonies 
has  been  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  increased  activity 
of  the  whale  fisheries,  and  to  the  circumstance  of 
these  having  been  lately  carried  with  success  into 
Davis's  Strait.  But  there  is  nothing  certainly  in 
their  history  which  betrays  any  radical  or  permanent 
change  in  the  climate  of  the  Arctic  regions.  The 
same  continent  of  ice  still  remains  during  the  far 
greater  part  of  the  year,  to  bar  the  access  of  fhe 
navigator  to  the  Pole. 


if  ;t 


,  V  >= '  "  j' 


rB 


V  ■'     \ 


!■    ■       „(/■    .* 


m 


CHAPTER  11. 

Animal  and  Vegetable  Life  in  the  Polar  Regiom, 

When  we  contemplate  the  aspect  of  the  northern 
world, — ^bleak,  naked,  dreary,  beaten  by  the  raging 
tempest,  and  subject  to  an  extremity  of  cold  which, 
with  us,  is  fatal  to  life  and  to  all  by  which  life  is  sup- 
ported,— we  naturally  imagine  that  animal  nature 
must  exist  there  on  a  small  scale,  and  under  diminu- 
tive forms.  It  might  be  expected,  that  only  a  few 
dwarf  and  stunted  species  would  be  scattered  along 
its  melancholy  shores,  and  that  life,  as  it  attempted 
to  penetrate  these  realms  of  desolation,  would  grow 
faint  and  expire.  But  the  mighty  Architect  of 
nature,  whose  ways  and  power  far  surpass  human 
comprehension,  makes  here  a  full  display  of  his  in- 
exhaustible resoupces.  He  has  filled  these  naked 
rocks  and  wintry  seas  with  a  swarming  profusion  of 
life,  such  as  he  scarcely  brings  forth  under  the  most 
genial  glow  of  tropical  suns.    He  has  stored  them 


<■  \   * 


t  \ 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


53 


with  the  mightiest  of  living  beings,  compared  to 
whose  enormous  bulk  the  elephant  and  hippopota- 
mus, which  rear  their  immense  shapes  amid  the 
marshy  plains  of  the  tropics,  seem  almost  diminu- 
tive. Even  the  smaller  species,  as  that  of  the  her- 
ring, issue  forth  from  the  frozen  depths  of  the  Arctic 
zone  in  shoals  which  astonish  by  their  immensity. 
Moving  in  close  and  countless  columns,  they  fill  all 
the  southern  seas,  and  minister  food  to  nations.  The 
air,  too,  is  darkened  by  innumerable  flocks  of  sea- 
fowl,  while,  even  upon  the  frozen  surface  of  the  land, 
animals  of  peculiar  structure  find  food  suited  to  their 
wants. 

By  what  means,  or  by  what  resources,  does  Nature 
support,  amid  the  frozen  world,  this  immensity  of 
life?  Wonderful  as  are  her  operations,  they  are 
always  arranged  agreeably  to  the  general  laws  im- 
posed upon  the  universe ;  and  we  shall  find,  in  the 
structure  and  condition  of  the  animal  world,  the 
powers  by  which  it  is  enabled  to  defy  this  frightful 
rigour  of  the  elements.  Some  of  the  provisions  by 
which  animal  frames  are  adapted  to  the  varying  ex- 
tremes of  the  climate  have  almost  the  appearance  of 
direct  interposition ;  yet  a  more  profound  investiga- 
tion always  discovers  the  causes  of  them  to  be  deeply 
lodged  in  their  physical  organization. 

It  is  on  the  seas  and  shores  of  the  Arctic  zone  that 
we  chiefly  observe  this  boundless  profusion  of  life ; 
and  in  conformity  with  that  arrangement  by  which 
Nature  supports  the  inhabitants  of  the  seas,  by 
making  them  the  food  of  each  other,  so  here  also 
we  observe  a  continued  gradation  of  animals,  rising 
one  above  another,  the  higher  preying  upon  the  lower, 
till  food  is  at  last  found  for  those  of  largest  bulk  and 
most  devouring  appetite. 

The  basis  of  subsistence  for  the  numerous  tribes  of 
the  Arctic  world  is  found  in  the  genus  medusa,  which 
the  sailors  graphically  describe  as  sea-blubber.  The 
medusa  is  a  soft,  elastic,  gelatinous  substance,  spe- 

R3 


•  . 


■f?       vt 


fi.i 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


m 


cimens  of  which  may  be  seen  lying  on  our  own  shores, 
exhibiting  no  signs  of  life  except  that  of  shrinking 
when  touched.  Beyond  the  Arctic  circle  it  increases 
i*"  an  extraordinary  degree,  and  is  eagerly  devoured 
oy  the  finny  tribes  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  By  far 
the  most  numerous,  however,  of  the  medusan  races 
are  of  dimensions  too  small  to  be  discerned  without 
the  aid  of  the  microscope, — ^the  application  of  which 
instrument  shows  them  to  be  the  cause  of  a  peculiar 
colour,  which  tinges  a  great  extent  of  the  Greenland 
Sea.  This  coloiur  is  olive-green,  and  the  water  i» 
dark  and  opaque  compared  to  that  which  bears  the 
common  cerulean  hue.  These  olive  waters  occupy 
about  a  fourth  of  the  Greenland  Sea,  or  above  twenty 
thousand  square  miles ;  and  hence  the  number  of  me- 
dusan animalcules  which  they  contain  is  far  beyond 
calculation.  Mr.  Scoresby  estimates  that  two  square 
miles  contain  23,888,000,000,000,000;  and  as  this 
number  is  beyond  the  range  of  human  words  and 
conceptions,  he  illustrates  it  by  observing,  that  80,000 
persons  would  have  been  employed  since  the  creation 
in  counting  it.  This  green  sea  may  be  considered  as 
the  Polar  pasture-ground,  where  whales  are  always 
seen  in  the  greatest  numbers.  These  prodigious  ani- 
mals cannot  derive  any  direct  subsistence  from  such 
small  invisible  particles ;  but  these  form  the  food  of 
other  minute  creatures,  which  then  support  others, 
till  at  length  animals  are  produced  of  such  size  as  to 
afford  a  morsel  for  their  mighty  devourers.  The  ge- 
nus cancer,  larger  in  size  than  the  medusa,  appears 
to  rank  i^econd  in  number  and  importance.  It  pre- 
sents itself  under  the  various  species  of  the  crab, 
and,  above  all,  of  the  shrimp,  whose  multitudes  rival 
those  of  the  medusa,  and  which  in  all  quarters  feed 
and  are  fed  upon.  So  carniverous  are  the  propensi- 
ties of  the  northern  shrimps,  that  joints  hung  out  by 
Captain  Parry's  crew  from  the  sides  of  the  ship  were 
in  a  few  nights  picked  to  the  very  bone ;  and  nothing 
could  be  placed  within  their  reach  except  bodies  of 


ANIMAL    LIFE. 


55 


which  it  was  desired  to  obtain  the  skeleton.  Many 
of  the  zoophytical  and  molluscous  orders,  particularly 
actinia  sepiat  and  several  species  of  marine  worms, 
are  also  employed  in  devouring  and  in  affording  food 
to  various  other  animals. 

Among  the  numberless  tribes  of  living  things  which 
people  the  northern  seas,  one  class  stands  highly 
conspicuous.  These  are  the  cetacea,  comprehending 
the  largest  of  existing  animals,  and  having  a  struc- 
ture wholly  distinct  from  every  other  species.  Al- 
though their  home  be  entirely  in  the  depth  of  the 
waters,  they  have  several  features  in  common  with 
the  larger  quadrupeds.  They  belong  to  the  Linnaean 
class  of  mammalia,  or  suck-giving  animals;  they 
produce  their  young  alive ;  their  sWn  is  smooth  and 
without  scales;  their  blood  warm;  and  the  flesh 
tastes  somewhat  like  coarse  beef.  They  have  a 
heart  with  two  ventricles,  and  lungs  through  which 
they  respire ;  and  being  unable  to  separate  the  air 
from  the  water,  as  fishes  do  by  means  of  their  gills, 
they  must  come  to  the  surface  in  order  to  breathe. 
It  is  thus  by  no  means  strictly  scientific  to  call  the 
whale  a  fish ;  yet  he  is  entirely  an  inhabitant  of  the 
sea,  having  a  tail;  though  placed  in  a  different  posi- 
tion from  that  of  ordinary  fishes,  while  his  front 
limbs  much  more  resemble  fins  than  legs,  and  are 
solely  useful  for  pawing  the  deep.  Hence  the  vul- 
gar, following  a  natural  and  descriptive  classifica- 
tion, obstinately  continue  to  give  the  name  of  fish  to 
these  watery  monsters.  But  the  most  characteristic 
and  important  feature  of  the  cetacea  consists  in  a 
thick,  deep  layer  of  fatty  substance,  called  blubber, 
lodged  beneath  the  skin,  and  surrounding  the  body, 
which  yields,  on  expression,  nearly  its  own  bulk  of 
thick,  coarse,  viscid  oil.  It  is  by  this  covering  that 
Providence  enables  them  to  defy  the  most  dreadful 
extremities  of  cold,  and  to  preserve  a  strong  animal 
heait  even  under  the  eternal  ice  of  the  Pole.  Yet 
this  substance,  being  subservient  to  the  uses  of  man^ 


t  f 


^'it'-  ^i 


06 


ANIMAL   LITE. 


I*' 


1^ 


III'. 


j'    t 


has  roused  a  dreadful  and  deadly  enemy,  who  em- 
ploys against  them  the  resources  of  art, — a  power 
which  the  mightiest  brutal  force  seeks  in  vain  to  op- 
pose. He  pursues  them  through  ice  and  tempest, 
and  dyes  all  the  northern  seas  with  their  blood. 
They  themselves  are  meek,  peaceful,  sluggish ;  and 
man,  in  the  dreadful  contests  which  he  wages  with 
them,  is  almost  always  the  aggressor ;  yet  the  resist- 
ance which  he  then  encounters  is  sometimes  terri- 
ble, and  his  life  is  not  unfrequently  the  forfeit. 

Among  the  cetaceous  tribes  the  chief  place  is  due 
tO'  the  whale,  of  all  animals  "  mightiest  that  swim 
the  ocean  stream.^'  Enormous  as  his  bulk  is,  ru- 
mour and  the  love  of  the  marvellous  have  repre- 
sented it  as  being  at  one  time  much  greater,  and  the 
existing  race  as  only  the  degenerate  remnant  of 
mightier  ancestors.  Mr.  Scoresby,  however,  by  col- 
lecting various  good  authorities,  has  proved  that 
sixty  feet  was  always  nearly  the  utmost  length  of 
the  mysticetus,  or  great  Greenland  whale.  Of  322 
individuals,  in  the  capture  of  which  that  gentleman 
was  concerned,  none  occurred  of  a  length  exceeding 
68  feet ;  and  he  gives  no  credeni!e  to  any  rumour  of 
a  specimen  which  exceeded  70  teet.  Even  60  feet 
implies  a  weight  of  70  tons,  being  nearly  that  of 
three  hundred  fat  oxen.  Of  this  vast  mass,  the  oil 
in  a  rich  whale  composes  about  thirty  tons,  and 
when,  as  was  the  case  some  years  ago,  that  article 
brought  j£55  or  £60  per  ton,  we  may  form  some  idea 
of  the  great  value  of  the  capture ;  the  bones  of  the 
head,  fins,  and  tail  weigh  8  or  10 ;  the  carcass,  30  or 
32  tons.  The  oleaginous  substance,  or  blubber,  the 
most  valuable  part  of  the  animal,  forms  a  complete 
wrapper  round  the  whole  body,  of  the  thickness  of 
from  8  to  20  inches.  The  head  is  disproportionally 
large,  forming  about  a  third  of  the  entire  bulk.  The 
basis  consists  of  the  crown-bone,  from  each  side  of 
which  descend  those  immense  jaw-bones  which  are 
sometimes  presented  to  our  wondering  eyes,  and 


V- 


i 


4 


*'J^ 


■     I    I 


1                                                                                                                                                                                , 1        ■ 

■.••■■■-'__   -^ -■ 

• 

\ 

* 

i 

l'..^  i 


I  I 


■Ki 


■    '^^^4 


k  i. 


a  I 


J  I 


a 


H' 


ANIMAL  LIFE. 


67 


which  the  ivhalers  place  on  deck  as  trophies  of  their 
success,  and  in  order  that  the  fine  oil  contained  in 
them  may  ooze  from  their  lower  extremities.  These 
jaM'-bones  are  from  16  to  20  feet  in  length,  and  ex- 
tend along  the  mouth  in  a  curved  line,  till  they  meet 
and  form  a  species  of  crescent.  The  lips,  nearly  20 
feet  long,  display,  when  open,  a  cavity  capable  of 
receiving  a  ship's  jolly-boat  with  her  crew.  The 
whale  has  no  external  ear ;  but,  when  the  skin  is  re- 
moved, a  small  aperture  is  discerned  for  the  admis- 
sion of  sound.  This  sense  accordingly  is  very  im- 
perfect :  yet  the  animal,  by  a  quick  perception  of  all 
movements  made  on  the  water,  discovers  danger  at 
a  great  distance.  The  eyes  are  proportionally  small, 
though  the  sense  of  seeing  is  acute ;  more  so,  however, 
through  clear  water  than  through  an  aerial  medium. 
But  the  most  unique  feature  in  the  structure  of  this 
animal  consists  in  the  «piVac/e5  or  blow-holes,  placed 
nearly  on  the  crown  of  the  head.  Tliesc  have  been 
compared  to  natural  je<«  cfeau  throwing  up  water  to 
the  height  of  40  or  60  feet;  but  the  more  careful 
scrutiny  of  Mr.  Scoresby  ascertained,  that  they  emit 
only  a  moist  vapour,  and  are  neither  more  nor  less 
than  huge  nostrils.  When,  however,  this  vehement 
breathing  or  blowing  is  performed  under  the  surface, 
a  considerable  quantity  of  water  is  thrown  up  into 
the  air.  The  sound  thus  occasioned  is  the  only  thing 
like  a  voice  emitted  by  the  animal,  and,  in  the  case 
of  a  violent  respiration,  it  resembles  the  discharge 
of  a  cannon. 

The  tail  is  the  most  active  limb  of  this  mighty 
animal,  and  the  chief  instrument  of  his  motion. 
It  does  not  rise  vertically  like  that  of  most  fishes, 
being  flat  and  horizontal,  only  four  or  five  feet 
long,  but  more  than  twenty  feet  broad.  It  con- 
sists of  two  beds  of  muscles  connected  with  an 
extensive  layer  surrounding  the  body,  and  enclosed 
by  a  thin  covering  of  blubber.  Its  power  is  tre- 
mendous.   A  single  stroke  throws  a  large  boat  with 


.^! 


58 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


*'', 


% 


m 


■  S:'M 


all  its  crew  into  the  air.  Sometimes  the  whale 
places  himself  in  a  perpendicular  position,  with  the 
head  downwards,  and,  rearing  his  tail  on  high,  beats 
the  water  with  awful  violence.  On  these  occasions 
the  sea  foams,  and  vapours  darken  the  air ;  the  lash- 
ing is  heard  several  miles  off,  like  the  roar  of  a  dis- 
tant tempest.  Sometimes  he  makes  an  immense 
spring,  and  rears  his  whole  body  above  the  waves, 
to  the  admiration  of  the  experienced  whaler,  but  to 
the  terror  of  those  who  see  for  the  first  time  this  asto- 
nishing spectacle.  Other  motions,  equally  expressive 
of  his  boundless  strength,  attract  the  attention  of  the 
navigator  at  the  distance  of  miles. 

The  fins,  called  by  the  French  nageoires,  and  by 
Dr.  Fleming  "  swimming  paws,"  are  placed  imme- 
diately behind  the  eyes.  They  are  nine  feet  long, 
enclosed  by  very  elastic  membranes,  and  provided 
with  bones  similar  in  form  and  number  to  those  of 
the  human  hand.  Such  is  the  spring  and  vitality 
of  the  parts,  that,  if  we  may  believe  De  Reste,  they 
continue  to  move  for  some  time  after  being  separated 
from  the  body.  According  to  Mr.  Scoresby,  however, 
while  the  whale  swims,  these  organs  lie  flat  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  are  not  at  all  instrumental  in 
producing  his  motion,  which  arises  entirely  from  the 
tail.  The  fins  merely  direct  and  steady  the  move- 
ment, and  thus  serve  rather  as  a  helm  than  as  oars. 

The  period  of  gestation  in  the  whale  is  nine  or  ten 
months,  and  the  female  brings  forth  in  February  or 
March.  She  is  viviparous ;  that  is,  the  young  come 
forth  alive,  not  enclosed  in  an  egg ;  and  there  is  usu- 
ally only  one  at  a  time.  These  delicate  nurslings, 
only  about  fourteen  feet  long,  and  weighing  little  more 
than  a  ton,  are  watched  over  by  the  mother  with  the 
most  tender  care.  The  whalers  strike  these  suckers, 
as  they  are  called,  not  on  account  of  their  own  valuer 
but  under  the  assurance  that  the  mother  will  start 
forth  in  their  defence.  Then  ensues  a  contest  hard  and 
perilous,  but  commonly  attended  with  a  prosperous 


ANIMAL  LIFE« 


59 


issue,  for  she  never  seeks  safety  in  flight.  She  rushes 
upon  the  boat,  drags  the  line  with  extraordinary  force, 
tosses  to  and  fro  with  extreme  agony,  and  suffers  her- 
self to  be  struck  by  repeated  harpoons  without  at- 
tempting to  escape ;  while  the  good-natured  captain 
has  his  triumphant  feelings  damped  by  the  considera- 
tion, that  his  prize  has  fallen  the  victim  to  such  an 
ardour  of  maternal  tenderness.  According  to  indica- 
tions afforded  by  notches  in  the  whalebone,  which 
seem  not,  however,  very  fully  established,  the  whale 
does  not  attain  his  full  growth  under  twenty-five 
years,  and  is  said  to  reach  a  very  great  age. 

There  is  a  considerable  variety  of  whales.  The 
balcena  physalis  {balanoptera  giboar  of  La  Cepede), 
called  by  the  sailors  razorback,  is  considerably  longer 
than  the  mysticetus ;  and  though  his  circumference 
be  smaller,  he  is  on  the  whole  a  still  larger  and  more 
powerful  animal.  He  is  also  swifter,  swimming  at 
the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour;  and  Mr.  Scoresby 
has  seen  him,  when  struck  with  a  harpoon,  run  off 
480  fathoms  of  line  in  a  minute.  An  individual  of 
this  species,  found  dead  in  Davis's  Straits,  measured 
105  feet  in  length;  he  is,  however,  a  dangerous 
species  to  attack,  as,  by  the  extreme  rapidity  of  his 
motion,  he  often  breaks  the  line,  or  obliges  the  sailors 
to  cut  it  in  order  to  escape  destruction.  Martens 
mentions  a  whale  of  this  kind,  which  dragged  a  boat 
with  its  crew  among  loose  ice,  where  they  all 
perished.  As  this  fish  contains  only  ten  or  twelve 
tons  of  oil,  of  an  inferior  quality,  the  whalers  gene- 
rally shun  his  encounter,  unless  when  they  are  dis- 
posed for  a  daring  adventure,  or  mistake  him,  as  they 
frequently  do,  for  a  mysticetus.  Besides  the  two 
pectoral  fins,  he  has  a  horny  protuberance  or  fin  at 
the  extremity  of  the  back,  which  part  of  the  body, 
instead  of  being  round  as  in  the  mysticetus,  rises 
into  a  narrow  ridge.  Tlie  balcena  musculus  or 
broad-nosed  whale,  the  balcena  rostrata  or  beaked 
whale,  and  the  balcena  boops  or  finner,  may  be  con- 


<?; 


r  I 


I      "• 


Ni 


*  h1 


60 


ANIMAL  LIFE. 


•„.( 


: :  ii 


sidered  as  razorbacks  on  a  smaller  scale,  with  certain 
specific  distinctions.  It  is  usually  these  smaller 
whales  that  frequent  the  coasts  of  Norway  and 
Shetland,  and  sometimes  make  their  appearance  in 
the  British  firths ;  but  neither  they  nor  the  physalis 
ever  attract  the  attention  of  an  experienced  Usher. 

The  only  species  besides  the  mysticetus,  which  i» 
the  object  of  regular  whaling  operations,  is  the  cacha" 
tot  {physeter  microps)  or  spermaceti  whale.  This 
variety  occurs  occasionally  in  the  northern  seas, 
especially  on  the  American  coast,  but  abounds  chiefly 
in  the  waters  bordering  on  the  Antarctic  zone,  and 
is  the  main  object  of  pursuit  in  the  southern  fishery. 
The  cachalot  does  not  seem  to  have  met  Mr. 
Scoresby's  observation,  although  a  male  was  thrown 
ashore  at  Limekilns  on  the  Forth,  as  described  by 
Sir  Robert  Sibbald;  but,  according  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  De  Reste  and  others,  this  species  is  distin- 
guished by  a  long  row  of  teeth  on  the  lower  and 
none  on  the  upper  jaw ;  the  back  has  a  peculiar  form, 
with  a  small  bunch  behind :  the  tail  is  of  extraordi- 
nary breadth.  The  cachalot  appears  in  large  herds, 
while  the  mysticetus,  called  by  our  fishers  the  right 
whale,  is  found  usually  single.  These  bands  very 
often  amount  to  two  hundred,  which  are  said  to  be 
mostly  female,  under  the  guidance  usually  of  a  male 
of  very  large  dimensions.  To  attack  them  is  a  for- 
midable undertaking;  but  success  is  very  advan- 
tageous, since  ten  or  twelve  sometimes  fall  in  one 
encounter.  The  perils  and  adventures  of  this  fishery 
are  described  as  almost  exceeding  belief;  for  which 
reason  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  Captain  Day's 
modesty  makes  him  decline  recounting  any  of  those 
which  he  witnessed.  The  quantity  of  oil  is  much 
smaller  than  in  the  mysticetus,  not  usually  exceed- 
ing three  tons ;  but,  from  its  being  mixed  with  the 
substance  called  spermaceti,  is  far  superior  in  value. 
The  latter  kind  of  oil,  while  warm,  is  fluid ;  but  on 
being  poured  into  hot  water  it  congeals  into  larg« 


^1 


AK1MAL  LIFE. 


Hakes.  This  whale  yields  also  the  peculiar  aromatic 
substance  called  ambergris,  formed  under  peculiar 
circumstances  in  the  rectum,  and  voided  as  feces. 

Another  species,  called  the  narwal,  about  sixteen 
feet  long  and  eight  in  circumference,  appears  to  differ 
little  from  a  small  whale,  except  in  a  tusk  projecting 
from  his  upper  jaw,  three  to  ten  feet  in  length,  which, 
suggesting  to  the  sailors  the  idea  of  a  horn,  has  pro- 
cured for  him  the  appellation  of  the  sea-unicorn.  He 
is  swift,  yet  is  taken  without  much  difficulty,  and 
yields  two  or  three  tons  of  very  fine  oil.  The  dol- 
phin, another  cetaceous  animal  of  poetic  fame,  occa- 
sionally occurs ;  and  the  grampus  appears  often  in 
numerous  herds,  guided  by  some  of  larger  size.  The 
beluga^  or  white  whale,  is  also  a  small  species,  dis- 
tinguished chiefly  by  its  colour. 

All  the  shores  and  borders  of  the  Arctic  zone  are 
crowded  with  huge  amphibious  races,  which  appear 
to  form  an  intermediate  link  between  whales  and 
quadrupeds, — the  mammalia  of  the  sea  and  those  of 
the  land.  Among  these  is  to  be  distinguished  the 
morse  or  walrus  {trichecus  rosmarus),  which  bears 
such  a  resemblance  to  our  domestic  quadnipeds, 
that  sailors,  according  to  their  various  impres- 
sions, have  given  it  the  title  of  sea-horse  or  sea- 
cow.  It  is  a  large,  shapeless,  unwieldy  creature,  12 
to  15  feet  in  length,  and  from  8  to  10  in  circum- 
ference ;  the  head  small,  the  limbs  short,  of  an  inter- 
mediate character  between  fins  and  legs.  As  a  de- 
fence against  the  extreme  cold,  these  animals  not 
only  have  skins  an  inch  thick,  covered  with  close 
hair,  but  enjoy  like  the  other  cetacea  a  coating  of  oily 
fat,  with  whicn  their  bodies  are  completely  envelopedf. 
Thus  cased,  they  lie  stretched  on  the  ice  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  without  suffering  any  inconvenience.  The 
most  remarkable  feature  of  the  walrus,  however,  con- 
sists in  two  teeth  or  tusks,  which  project  in  a  curved 
line  from  the  upper  jaw,  and  are  nearly  two  feet  in 
length.    They  are  of  beautiful  white  bone,  almost 

F 


•  » if 


62 


ANIMAL   LIFE< 


k  I 


'i    i  ; 


equal  to  ivory,  and  much  used  in  the  fabrication  oi 
artificial  teeth.  The  front  face,  when  seen  at  a 
little  distance,  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
human;  and  its  appearance  is  suspected  to  have 
sometimes  given  rise  to  the  fanciful  reports  of  mer- 
maids seen  in  the  northern  seas.  Like  all  the  ceta- 
ceous tribes,  to  which  the  walrus  is  allied,  he  is  dis- 
posed to  be  peaceful  and  harmless.  Captain  Parry 
describes  the  supine  security  with  which  a  number 
of  them  lay  on  the  ice,  piled  over  each  other,  without 
discomposing  themselves  at  the  approach  of  a  party 
armed  for  their  destruction.  But  they  were  doubt- 
less not  aware  of  the  deadly  weapons  with  which 
man  is  armed,  while  his  physical  aspect  displays 
nothing  v/ith  which  they  might  not  deem  themselves 
fully  qualified  to  cope.  In  Spitzbergen,  where  they 
have  been  long  the  object  of  chase  to  the  Russian 
hunters,  they  are  reported  to  keep  very  strict  watch ; 
it  being  said  that  one  stands  guard  while  the  others 
sleep.  Even  when  sensible  of  danger,  they  are  not 
forward  to  face  it,  but  rather  shun  the  attack  by 
rushing  beneath  the  ice,  when  those  behind,  with 
their  tusks,  urge  forward  their  companions.  Yet 
when  at  length  compelled  to  combat,  they  give  battle 
with  the  utmost  coolness  and  courage ;  they  then 
stand  firm  by  each  other,  rush  in  one  united  body 
against  the  boats,  and,  striking  with  their  tusks,  en- 
deavour to  overset  them.  When  repulsed  too,  they 
repeatedly  rally,  and  yield  finally  only  to  the  fire- 
arms of  Europeans,  or  to  the  stratagems  of  the  Es- 
quimaux. Maternal  tenderness,  and  the  determina- 
tion with  which  the  female  defends  her  young,  are 
equally  conspicuous  in  them  as  in  members  of  the 
whale  species.    • 

The  seal,  an  animal  well  known  on  all  the  shores 
of  Europe,  need  not  be  particularly  described.  The 
Arctic  species  are  distinguished  by  their  very  great 
numbers,  and  by  the  various,  or  rather  universal 
purposes  to  which  they  are  applied  by  the  Esqui- 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


69 


. 


maux.  They  furnish  food  for  his  table,  oil  for  his 
lamp,  clothing  for  his  person ;  even  their  bones  and 
skin  supply  materials  for  his  light  portable  boats  and 
his  summer  tents. 

Before  quitting  the  polar  seas  we  must  notice  an- 
other inhabitant,  whose  migrations  render  it  familiar 
to  all  the  coasts  of  Europe.  These  waters,  as 
already  observed,  apparently  so  chill  and  ungenial, 
contain  not  only  an  ample  store  of  animal  life,  but  a 
vast  superabundance,  with  which  they  supply  all  the 
seas  of  the  temperate  climates.'  From  them  in  par- 
ticular, if  we  may  believe  the  Dutch  writers,  are  de- 
rived the  extensive  and  \  -luable  tribes  of  the  herring. 
Their  immense  bands  break  up  from  their  frozen 
depths  about  January,  and  in  March  appear  on  the 
coast  of  Iceland.  Their  column  at  this  time,  con- 
fined between  Greenland  and  the  North  Cape,  is  of 
comparatively  small  breadth,  but  so  dense  that  the 
water  is  darkened  by  them ;  any  wooden  vessel  let 
down  brings  up  several :  they  may  even  be  taken  by 
the  stroke  of  a  lance.  They  follow  certain  of  their 
number  larger  than  the  rest,  called  kings.  These 
kings  are  held  in  much  respect  by  the  Dutch,  who 
studiously  spare  their  majesties,  and  even  liberate 
them  when  found  in  the  net,  lest,  deprived  of  this 
royal  guidance,  the  nation  should  not  find  the  way  to 
their  accustomed  haunts.  After  emerging  from  the 
Greenland  sea,  this  great  army  divides  into  two 
wings,  of  which  the  right  and  largest  bears  down  di- 
rectly upon  Scotland ;  at  the  north-eastern  extremity 
of  which  it  forms  that  immense  field,  in  which  the 
Dutch  for  so  many  years  carried  on  their  great  na- 
tional fishery.  They  are  now  rivalled  by  the  boat- 
men of  Wick  and  Thurso.  A  detachment  smaller  in 
number,  but  some  of  which  attain  to  superior  excel- 
lence, fills  the  western  bays  of  Scotland,  and  passing 
along  Ireland,  reaches  the  neighbouring  coast  of 
France.  Meantime  the  left  or  smaller  wing,  after 
ranging  the  Norwegian  shore,  has  entered  the  Baltic. 


;      i-h 


K'*! 


i    .'i 


\\  I 


64 


ANIMAL  LIPE. 


wi 


M 


In  July  all  these  advancing  divisions  halt,  and  by  an 
unknown  impulse  begin  to  retrace  their  course  to- 
wards their  northern  home.  De  Reste  considers  it 
certain,  that  the  herrings,  in  returning,  have  a  gene- 
ral point  of  rendezvous  not  yet  discovered ;  but  it 
should  seem  that  only  the  actual  discovery  of  this 
rendezvous  can  ascertain  its  existence.  However, 
about  the  end  of  September,  they  reach  their  resi- 
dences beneath  the  ices  of  the  Pole,  where  they  re- 
main three  months;, all  the  rest  of  the  year  being 
spent  in  wandermg  over  the  face  of  the  ocean. 

Although  the  object  of  Providence  in  leading  the 
herring  this  immense  annual  round  is  doubtless  that 
of  furnishing  food  to  numerous  animals,  and  espe- 
cially to  man,  yet  the  immediate  impulse  by  which 
they  are  urged  to  so  extensive  and  regular  a  move- 
ment has  been  the  subject  of  much  controversy. 
Anderson  supposes  that  they  fly  before  the  numerous 
large  fishes  which  fill  the  Ajrctic  seas,  and  by  which 
they  are  pursued  and  devoured,  and  that  they  form 
themselves  into  close  bands  with  a  view  to  self-de- 
fence. But  the  regular  course  which  they  follow, 
year  after  year,  and  their  constant  return  at  a  fixed 
period,  suggests  nothing  of  that  tumultuous  flight 
which  such  a  panic  would  have  prompted.  It  seems 
more  probable,  that  they  are  led  by  those  instincts 
which  guide  fishes  to  deposite  their  spawn  in  places 
remote  and  dissimilar  to  their  usual  abo'^''.  The  fe- 
male herring,  when  taken  on  the  coast  oi  Britain,  is 
found  commonly  to  contain  a  roe,  and  as  this  roe 
comprises  the  embryo  of  ten  thousand  future  her- 
rings, such  a  prodigious  fecundity  easily  repairs  all 
the  havoc  committed  upon  the  species,  not  only  by 
its  brethren  of  the  deep,  but  also  by  the  ingenuity  of 
man  constantly  exerted  for  its  capture  and  destruc- 
tion. 

The  other  animals  which  frequent  the  Polar  re- 
gions belong  chiefly  or  wholly  to  the  land. 

In  the  caves  of  the  rocks,  or  in  the  hollows  of  the 


\^ 


I 


« 


'«:       ■^■t 


N. 


l> 


m 


I  h 


m 


15  I 


i 


li 


ji 


s 


I 


S 

I 
I 


6 


3 

T 

d 

I 

s 

I 

I 


at 

•3 

1 

1 


< 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


65 


ice,  dwells  the  most  formidable  of  Arctic  quadru- 
peds, the  Greenland  or  Polar  bear.    This  fierce  ty- 
rant of  the  cliffs  and  snows  of  the  north  unites  the 
strength  of  the  lion  with  the  untameable  fierceness 
of  the  hyena.    A  long  shaggy  covering  of  white  soft 
hair  and  a  copious  supply  of  fat  enable  him  to  defy 
the  winter  of  this  rigorous  climate.    Under  the  heat 
of  Britain  he  suffers  the  most  painful -sensations; 
Pennant  saw  one,  over  whom  it  was  necessary  from 
time  to  time  to  pour  large  pailfuls  of  water.    An- 
other, kept  for  some  years  by  professor  Jameson, 
evidently  suffered  severely  from  the  heat  of  ua  Edin- 
burgh summer.    The  haunt  of  the  bear  is  on  the 
dreary  Arctic  shores,  or  on  mountains  of  ice,  some- 
times two  hundred  miles  from  land ;  yet  he  is  not 
strictly  speaking,  amphibious.    He  cannot  remait 
under  water  above  a  few  moments,  and  he  reaches 
his  maritime  stations  only  by  swimming  from  ont 
icy  fragment  to  another.    Mr.  Scoresby  limits  the 
swimming  reach  to  three  or  four  miles ;  yet  Parry 
found  one  in  the  centre  of  Barrow's  Strait,  where  i 
was  forty  miles  across.    This  bear  prowls  continu- 
ally for  his  prey,  which  consists  chiefly  of  the  smallei 
cetacea  and  of  seals,  which,  unable  to  contend  with 
him,  shun  their  fate  by  keeping  strict  watch,  and 
plunging  into  the  depths  of  the  waters.    With  the 
walrus  he  holds  dreadful  and  doubtful  encounters ; 
and  that  powerful  animal,  with  his  enormous  tusks, 
frequently  beats  him  off  with  great  damage.    The 
whale  he  dares  not  attack,  but  watches  anxiously 
for  the  huge  carcass  in  a  dead  state,  which  affords 
him  a  prolonged  and  delicious  feast :  he  scents  it  at 
the  distance  of  miles.    All  these  sources  of  supply 
being  precarious,  he  is  sometimes  left  for  weeks 
without  food,  and  the  fury  of  his  hunger  then  be- 
comes tremendous.    At  such  periods,  man,  viewed 
by  him  always  as  his  prey,  is  attacked  with  peculiar 
fierceness. 
The  annals  of  the  north  are  filled  with  accounts 

F2 


m 


j.-i 


0   v;^^^ 


ii,(t  ' 


S 


66 


ANIMAL  LIFE. 


of  the  most  perilous  and  fatal  conflicts  of  the  Pols^ 
bear.  The  first,  and  one  of  the  most  tragical,  was 
sustained  by  Barentz  and  Heemskerke,  in  1596,  dur- 
ing their  voyage  for  the  discovery  of  the  north-east 
passage.  Having  anchored  at  an  island  near  the 
stiait  of  Waygatz,  two  of  the  sailors  landed,  and 
were  walking  on  shore,  when  one  of  them  felt  him- 
self closely  hugged  from  behind.  Thinking  this  a 
frolic  of  one  of  his  companions,  he  called  out  in  a 
corresponding  tone,  "  Who's  there  1  pray  stand  off." 
His  comrade  looked,  and  screamed  out,  "  A  bear !  a 
bear !"  then  running  to  the  ship,  alarmed  the  crew 
with  loud  cries.  TTie  sailors  ran  to  the  spot  armed 
with  pikes  and  muskets.  On  their  approach  the  bear 
very  coolly  quitted  the  mangled  corpse,  sprang  upon 
another  sailor,  carried  him  off,  and,  plunging  his  teeth 
into  his  body,  began  drinking  his  blood  at  long 
draughts.  Hereupon  the  whole  of  that  stout  crew, 
struck  with  terror,  turned  their  backs,  and  fled  pre- 
cipitately to  the  ship.  On  arriving  there  they  began 
to  look  at  each  other,  unable  to  feel  much  satisfac- 
tion with  their  own  prowess.  Three  then  stood 
forth,  undertaking  to  avenge  the  fate  of  their  country- 
men, and  to  secure  for  them  the  rites  of  burial. 
They  advanced,  and  fired  at  first  from  so  respectful 
a  distance  that  they  all  missed.  The  purser  then 
courageously  proceeded  in  front  of  his  companions, 
and,  taking  a  close  aim,  pierced  the  monster's  skull 
immediately  below  the  eye.  The  bear,  however, 
merely  lifted  his  head,  and  advanced  upon  them, 
holding  still  in  his  mouth  the  victim  whom  he  was 
devouring;  but  seeing  him  soon  stagger,  the  three 
rushed  on  with  sabre  and  bayonet,  and  soon  de- 
spatched him.  They  collected  and  bestowed  decent 
sepulture  on  the  mangled  limbs  of  their  comrades, 
while  the  skin  of  the  animal,  thirteen  feet  long,  be- 
came the  prize  of  the  sailor  who  had  fired  the  suc- 
cessful shot. 
The  history  of  the  whale-fishers  records  a  number 


itNIMAL   LIFE. 


67 


of  remarkable  escapes  from  the  bear.  A  Dutch  cap- 
tain, Jonge  Kees,  in  1668,  undertook,  with  two  ca- 
noes to  attack  one,  and  with  a  lance  gave  him  so 
dreadful  a  wound  in  the  belly,  that  his  immediate 
death  seemed  inevitable.  Anxious,  therefore,  not  to 
injure  the  skin,  Kees  merely  followed  the  animal 
close,  till  he  should  drop  down  dead.  The  bear^ 
however,  having  climbed  a  little  rock,  made  a  spring 
from  the  distance  of  twenty-four  feet  upon  the  cap- 
tain, who,  taken  completely  by  surprise,  lost  hold  of 
the  lance,  and  fell  beneath  the  assailant,  who,  plac- 
mg  both  paws  on  his  breast,  opened  two  rows  of 
tremendous  teeth,  and  paused  lor  a  moment,  as  if 
to  show  him  all  the  horrors  of  his  situation.  At 
this  critical  instant,  a  sailor,  rushing  forward  with 
only  a  scoop,  succeeded  in  alainiing  the  monster, 
who  made  off,  leaving  the  captain  without  the 
slightest  injury. 

In  1788,  Captain  Cook  of  the  Archangel,  when 
near  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  found  himself  sud- 
denly between  the  paws  of  a  bear.  He  instantly 
called  on  the  surgeon,  who  accompanied  him,  to  fire, 
which  the  latter  did  with  such  admirable  promptitude 
and  precision,  that  he  shot  the  beast  through  the 
head,  and  delivered  the  captain.  Mr.  Hawkins  of 
the  Everthorpe,  in  July,  1818,  having  pursued  and 
twice  struck  a  large  bear,  had  raised  his  lance  for  a 
third  blow,  when  the  animal  sprang  forward,  seized 
him  by  the  thigh,  and  threw  him  over  its  head  into 
the  water.  Fortunately,  it  used  this  advantage  only 
to  effect  its  own  escape.  Captain  Scoresby  men- 
tions a  boat^s  crew  which  attacked  a  bear  in  the  Spitz- 
bergen sea;  but  the  animal  having  succeeded  in 
climbing  the  sides  of  the  boat,  all  the  sailors  threw 
themselves  for  safety  into  the  water,  where  they 
hung  by  the  gimwale.  The  victor  entered  trium- 
phantly, and  took  possession  of  the  barge,  where  it 
sat  quietly  till  it  was  shot  by  another  party.  The 
same  writer  mentions  the  ingenious  contrivance  of  a 


U^!; 


H:i 


'  ;* 


68 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


Wu. 


sailor,  who,  being  pursued  by  one  of  these  creatures, 
threw  down  successively  his  hat,  jacket,  handkerchief, 
and  every  other  article  in  his  possession,  when  the 
brute  pausing  at  each,  gave  the  sailor  always  a  cer- 
tain advantage,  and  enabled  him  finally  to  regain  the 
vessel. 

Though  the  voracity  of  the  bear  is  such,  that  he 
has  been  known  to  feed  on  his  own  species,  yet  ma- 
ternal tenderness  is  as  conspicuous  in  the  female  as 
in  other  inhabitants  of  the  frozen  regions.  There  is 
no  exertion  which  she  will  net  make  for  the  supply 
of  her  progeny.  A  she-bear,  with  her  two  cubs, 
being  pursued  by  some  sailors  across  a  field  of  ice, 
and  finding  that,  neither  by  example,  nor  by  a  peculiar 
voice  and  action,  she  could  urge  them  to  the  requisite 
speed,  applied  her  paws  and  pitched  them  alternately 
forward.  The  little  creatures  themselves,  as  she 
came  up,  threw  themselves  before  her  to  receive  the 
impulse,  and  thus  both  she  and  they  effected  theit 
escape. 

Bears  are  by  no  means  devoid  of  intelligence. 
Their  schemes  for  entrapping  seals,  and  other  ani- 
mals on  which  they  feed,  often  display  considerable 
ingenuity.  The  manner  in  which  the  Polar  bear  sur- 
prises his  victim,  is  thus  described  by  Captain  Lyon : 
— On  seeing  his  intended  prey,  he  gets  quietly  into 
the  water,  and  swims  to  a  leeward  position,  from 
whence,  by  frequent  short  dives,  he  silently  makes 
his  approaches,  and  so  arranges  his  distance,  that  at 
the  last  dive  he  comes  to  the  spot  where  the  seal  is 
lying.  If  the  poor  animal  attempts  to  escape  by 
rolling  into  the  water,  he  falls  into  the  paws  of  the 
bear ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  he  lies  still,  his  destroyer 
makes  a  powerful  spring,  kills  him  on  the  ice,  and  de- 
vours him  at  leisure.  Some  sailors,  endeavouring  to 
catch  a  bear,  placed  the  noose  of  a  rope  under  the 
snow,  baited  with  a  piece  of  whale's  flesh.  The 
bear,  however,  contrived,  three  successive  times,  to 
push  the  noose  aside*  and  to  carry  off  the  bait  un« 


, 


ANIMAL    LIFE. 


69 


ef, 
he 
5r- 
:he 


as 


hurt.  Captain  Scoresby  had  half-tamed  two  cubs^ 
which  used  even  to  walk  the  deck ;  but  they  showed 
themselves  always  restless  under  this  confinement, 
and  finally  effected  their  escape. 

According  to  Pennant  and  other  writers,  the  bear 
forms  chambers  in  the  great  ice-mountains,  where  he 
sleeps  the  long  winter  night,  undisturbed  by  the  roar 
of  the  northern  tempest ;  but  this  regular  hibernation 
is  doubted  by  many  recent  observers.  The  fact  seems 
to  be,  that  the  males  roam  about  all  winter  in  search 
of  prey,  not  being  under  the  same  necessity  of  sub- 
mitting to  the  torpid  state  as  the  black  bear  of  Ame- 
rica, which  feeds  chiefly  on  vegetable  food ;  but  the 
females,  who  are  usually  pregnant  during  the  more 
rigorous  season  of  the  year,  seclude  themselves  for 
nearly  the  entire  winter  in  their  dens. 

The  animals  which  belong  entirely  to  the  land,  and 
feed  on  herbage,  are,  in  a  climate  covered  deep  with 
snow  for  nine  months  in  the  year,  necessarily  few 
both  in  number  and  species.  The  reindeer,  a  most 
patient  and  useful  creature,  the  standing  inhabitant 
of  all  the  northern  lands,  reaches  nearly  as  far  as 
animal  life  can  subsist.  To  the  Laplander  he  is  all 
in  all ;  and  in  that  climate  he  can  always  dig  from 
under  the  snow  the  moss  or  lichen,  his  favourite 
food.  Even  in  tlie  severer  Arctic  climates  he  carries 
his  summer  excursions  as  far  as  men  have  yet  pene- 
trated ;  but  at  the  end  of  October  the  deeply-frozen 
earth  allows  him  no  longer  to  reach  even  the  simple 
food  in  which  he  delights.  They  then  assemble  in 
large  herds,  and  migrate  to  the  southward.  From 
Melville  Island  they  were  even  seen  crossing  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  soa,  to  reach  a  milder  climate 
on  the  American  shore.  The  people  within  the 
Arctic  zone  do  not  tame  the  reindeer,  or  yoke 
it  in  the  sledge;  it  is  not  even  for  them  the  staff 
of  life ;  but  it  affords  a  favourite  object  of  sum- 
mer chase,  gives  an  agieeable  variety  to  their 
meals,  and  yields  their  warmest  and  most  valuablt) 


*<•    i 


'    HI 


ir       '  '  ■•■ 


I        .1 


,<   I 


1 

f  ' 


i^. 


•k. 


9   !    <• 


70 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


;  i  t 


winter  robes.  The  fur-skin  becomes  always  richer 
and  more  copious  in  proportion  to  the  intensity  of 
the  cold,  against  which  it  forms  the  only,  but  a  suf- 
ficient defence.  In  the  chase  the  deer  fall  easy  vic- 
tims, even  to  the  rude  archery  of  the  Esquimaux, 
being  so  simple  and  curious,  that,  if  a  man  merely 
walks  away  from  them,  they  folio  .v.  Some  of  these 
animals  who  joined  Captain  Parry's  crews  on  Mel- 
ville Island  played  round  them  like  lapdogs,  and  at 
setting  out  in  the  morning  used  to  gambol  by  rearing 
on  their  hind-legs.  The  musk-ox,  the  only  member 
of  the  bovine  species  which  penetrates  the  Arctic 
zone,  though  in  smaller  numbers,  affords  a  wholesome 
and  agreeable  variety  of  food.    Its  unwieldy  form  is 

Erotected  from  the  cold  by  an  immense  profusion  of 
air,  which  envelopes  its  whole  limbs  and  figure,  and 
also  by  an  interior  layer  of  wool,  which  appeared  to 
Pennant  the  finest  he  had  ever  seen,  and  made,  he 
was  told,  stockings  superior  to  the  richest  silk.  This 
last,  we  suspect,  is  a  temporary  winter  clothing. 

The  canine  race  affords  several  species  which 
brave  the  most  extreme  severity  of  the  Arctic  cold, 
and  remain  after  every  other  land-quadruped,  except 
the  bear,  has  taken  its  flight  to  the  southward. 
Wolves,  in  considerable  packs,  continue  still  to  seek 
their  prey  in  the  utmost  depths  of  the  Polar  winter. 
It  seems  difficult  to  discover  what  food  they  find  at 
that  season ;  but  a  regular  pack  attended  the  English 
discovery-ships,  watcjhing  for  whatever  offal  might 
be  found  exposed,  and  serenading  thbiri  with  nightly 
bowlings.  As  if  by  a  sort  of  tacit  convention,  they 
did  not  presume  to  attack  the  sailors,  but  they  ad- 
vanced in  a  most  daring  manner  to  the  sides  of  the 
ships,  and  sometimes  even  entered  the  huts  of  the 
Esquimaux,  whose  dogs  they  esteemed  the  choicest 
prize,  and  very  speedily  devoured  them.  The  natives 
catch  them  by  traps  formed  of  little  sheds  of  ice,  at 
v/hose  entrance  is  a  portcullis  of  the  same  material, 
connected  in  such  a  manner  with  the  bait  within. 


. 


>■ 


ANIMAL   LIFE 


71 


U: 


that,  when  the  latter  is  seized  by  the  animal,  the  port- 
cullis drops,  and  the  wolf  is  taken.  Their  tenacity 
of  life  is  such  as  often,  aft«r  apparent  death,  to  cause 
surprises  and  even  dangers.  The  Arctic  fox,  a 
small  beautiful  white  animal,  with  woolly  hair  like  a 
little  shock-dog,  occurs  in  still  greater  numbers. 
About  a  hundred  were  caught  in  Capt.  Parry's  second 
voyage,  some  of  which  were  half-tamed  and  made  pets 
of;  while  others,  by  a  harder  fate,  were  dressed  for 
table ;  and  their  flesh,  somewhat  resembling  kid,  af 
forded  an  agreeable  relief  from  the  constant  use  of 
salted  meat. 

The  dog,  however,  is  the  most  important  quadruped 
of  the  Arctic  world,  and  the  most  valuable  possession 
of  its  people,  who  have  succeeded  in  taming  and 
rendering  it  equally  valuable  for  draught  and  hunting* 
The  dogs  of  the  Greenlander,  the  Esquimaux,  and 
the  Kamtchadale,  are  large,  and  of  a  somewhat  wild 
aspect.  Captain  Lyon  describes  them  as  resembling 
in  form  the  shepherd's  dog,  rising  to  the  height  of  the 
Newfoundland,  but  broad  like  the  mastiff,  having 
short  pricked  ears,  a  furry  coat,  and  a  bushy  tail.  In 
general,  they  are  observed  to  bear  a  strong  resem- 
dance  to  the  wolf,  and  the  opinion  is  even  prevalent 
that  they  are  neither  more  nor  less  than  tamed  wolves. 
Parry  and  Richardson  both  mention  instances  in 
which  domestic  dogs  were  seduced  away  by  the  at- 
tractions of  female  wolves ;  yet  the  avidity'  with 
which  the  wolf  devours  these,  his  supposed  .  ne 
brethren,  does  not  seem  very  indicative  of  so  ?1osg 
an  affinity.  Nature,  with  provident  care,  dciends 
them  against  the  cold,  not  only  by  a  profiision  of 
long  hair,  but  by  a  soft  downy  covering,  Juried  be- 
neath it  at  the  commencement  of  winter,  and  shed  at 
the  approach  of  the  milder  season.  The  Esquimaux 
are  much  leproached  for  their  harsh  treatment  of 
these  valuable  servants  ;  yet  in  infancy  they  are  used 
with  tenderness,  the  women  often  taking  the  young 
puppies  into  bed,  and  feeding  them  from  their  own 


i) 


H^' 


If 


^  I 


/:    . 


■  w 


li 


^  h 


t? 


I ' 


ip 


I:'  ■■ 


i'i 


72 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


mouths.  As  soon  as  they  can  walk  they  are  yoked 
to  a  small  sledge ;  in  endeavouring  to  shake  off  which 
encumbrance  they  leani  to  draw  it.  Severe  and  fre- 
quent beatings,  however,  are  necessary  to  train  them 
for  acting  as  a  regular  team.  But  their  most  severe 
privation  is  in  food ;  of  which,  during  the  season  of 
scarcity,  they  obtain  a  portion  barely  sufficient  to 
maintain  life,  and  not  at  all  to  prevent  them  from 
falling  into  a  state  the  most  meager  and  debilitated. 
Their  hunger  is  manifested  by  the  nature  of  the  sub- 
stances with  which  they  sometimes  seek  to  assuage 
it.  Captain  Parry  saw  one  which  ate  a  large  piece 
of  canvass,  a  cotton  handkerchief  laid  out  to  dry, 
and  apiece  of  a  linen  shirt.  The  Esquimaux,  we  must 
recollect,  are  subject  to  severe  scarcities,  and  the 
food  of  the  dogs  being  the  same  with  iheir  own,  the 
animals,  on  such  emergencies,  can  scarcely  expect 
to  be  placed  on  a  footing  of  equality.  This  rough 
usage  does  not  seem  incompatible  with  a  measure  of 
solid  attachment  to  these  valuable  servants.  The 
natives  refused  to  sell  them  to  the  English,  till  assured 
that  they  would  not  be  killed.  They  rejoiced  greatly 
to  see  a  house  built  for  them ;  and  at  every  visit  a 
friendly  recognition  took  place  between  the  dog  and 
his  old  master.  When  the  animals  are  yoked  in  the 
sledge,  a  whip  of  twenty  feet  long  enforces  obedi- 
ence, while  peculiar  cries  indicate  the  right  or  left,  to 
turn  or  to  stop.  Three  dogs  could  draw  a  sledge 
weighing  lOOlbs.,  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  in  six  minutesjj 
and  one  leader  has  drawn  1961bs.  the  same  distance 
m  eight  minutes.  A  full  team,  however,  comprises 
eight  or  ten  dogs ;  though  seven  have  drawn  a  full 
sledge  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  in  four  minutes  and  a 
half;  while  nine,  employed  in  conveying  stores  from 
the  Hecla  to  the  Fury,  drew  16111bs.  in  nine  mi- 
nutes. Capt.  Lyon  reports  most  favourably  of  the 
team  which  he  himself  formed,  who  used  to  draw 
him  from  ship  to  ship,  a  mile  distant,  in  the  deepest 
darkness  and  amid  clouds  of  snow-drift,  with  the 


I 


Ml' 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


73 


i 


most  perfect  precision,  when  he  could  not  have  found 
his  own  way  for  a  hundred  steps.  Their  services  in 
hunting  are  also  of  great  value :  they  can  snuff  the 
seal  in  his  hole,  or  the  deer  on  the  mountains,  from  a 
surprising  distance.  Assembled  in  packs,  they  face 
even  the  Polar  bear,  keeping  him  at  least  at  bay  till 
their  masters  come  up  with  spears  to  the  attack. 

The  air  in  those  dreary  regions  is,  almost  as  nuich 
as  the  waters,  peopled  with  its  appropriate  inhabit- 
ants, who  fill  it  continually  with  sound  and  life. 
Here,  too,  the  species  are  nearly  all  different  from 
those  which  wing  their  flight  through  the  temperate 
skies.  They  do  not  shine  with  the  bright  hues  of  the 
humming-bird,  nor  breathe  the  soft  notes  of  the 
nightingale,  nor  do  they  charm  the  air  with  the  rich 
melody  of  our  woodland  choirs;  but  the  auk,  the 
petrel,  and  the  gull,  clustering  in  myriads,  cause  all 
the  rocks  and  siiores  of  the  north  to  echo  with  their 
wild  clang.  They  are  almost  all  rapacious  and  car- 
nivorous ;  the  vast  collections  of  shell-fish  and  ma- 
rine insects  with  which  those  seas  abound,  and  the 
carcasses  of  the  huge  animals  which  are  killed  either 
in  conflicts  with  each  other  or  with  man,  affording 
them  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  nutriment. 

The  fulmar,  or  petrel  {procellaria  glacialis),  is  the 
close  attendant  of  the  whale  ships  in  every  stage  of 
their  progress.  Tentied  emphatically  the  bird  of 
storm,  it  faces  the  northern  tempest  when  raving 
with  its  utmost  fury,  and  seats  itself  on  the  agitated 
crest  of  the  mountain-wave,  as  calmly  as  if  resting 
on  the  surface  of  an  untroubled  lake !  It  follows 
with  one  uniform  object, — that  of  snatching  and 
feasting  on  portions  of  blubber.  As  soon  as  a  whale 
is  fastened  to  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  begins  to  be 
cut  up,  an  immense  muster  takes  place,  sometimes 
exceeding  a  thousand,  all  stationed  in  the  rear,  watch- 
ing for  the  fragments  which  are  wafted  to  leeward. 
The  peculiar  chuckling  noise  by  which  they  express 
their  eager  expectation,  the  voracitv  with  which  they 

G 


V 


i  >\ 


t  '■ 


^■ 


^l 


,.l. 


74 


ANIMAL   LIFE* 


H 


M  ' 


seize  on  the  fat,  and  the  huge  morsels  which  they 
swallow, — the  envy  shown  to  those  who  have  ob- 
tained the  largest  of  these  delicate  morsels,  and 
often  the  violent  measures  taken  to  wrest  it  from 
them, — afford  to  the  sailors  curious  and  amusing 
spectacles.  The  surface  of  the  sea  is  sometimes  so 
covered  with  them,  that  a  stone  cannot  be  thrown 
without  one  being  struck.  When  an  alarm  is  given, 
innumerable  wings  are  instantly  in  movement,  and 
the  birds,  striking  their  feet  against  the  water  to  aid 
their  flight,  cause  a  loud  and  thundering  plash. 

The  petrel,  however,  does  not  enjoy  alone  this 
delicious  ocean-festival.  It  is  sought  with  equal 
aridity  by  the  various  species  of  the  larus  or  gull— 
the  Arctic  guU,  the  kittiwake,  and  the  snow-bird 
(hrus  ebiirneus),  which  last  excites  admiration  by  its 
p  ire  and  beautiful  white;  but  the  elegance  of  its 
t:  ste  does  not  correspond  to  that  of  its  appearance, 
fat  blubber  being  its  choicest  luxury,  while  it  utters  a 
*  i  d  and  disagreeable  scream.  But  all  thene  rjven- 
iv.  -r  tribes  of  the  northern  sky  have  a  terrible  rival 
in  the  glaucous  gull  {larus  glaucus),  who  equals  in 
rapacity  and  surpasses  them  all  in  power  and 
strength.  In  consideration  of  this,  the  Dutch  have 
invested  him  with  the  title  of  burgomaster ;  but  that 
sage  magistrate  uses,  we  trust,  his  power  in  a  very 
different  manner  from  his  winged  representative, 
who  employs  it  solely  in  wresting  from  the  weaker 
species  whatever  he  sees  them  possess,  and  esteems 
desirable.  He  is  usually  hovering  high  in  the  air, 
or  seated  on  the  loftiest  icy  pinnacles,  whence,  having 
fixed  his  eye  on  a  delicious  morsel,  he  darts  down 
on  the  possessor,  which,  whether  fulmar,  snow-bird, 
or  kittiwake,  must  instantly  resign  the  coveted  prize. 
Happily  for  these  n.  ^s,  .i  e  burgomaster  species  is 
very  small  in  numbor,  compared  t-  the  multitudes 
over  whom  he  tyran  ;  zes. 

The  genus  anas,  comprehending  the  swan,  the 
goose,  and  the  duck,  lar^^e,  useful,  and  often  beautifiU 


most 


ciout 


ANIMAL   LIFE. 


75 


birds,  traverse  in  vast  flights  all  the  northern  seas 
and  waters.  Like  the  rest  of  the  anseres,  tl:  ^y  have 
all  webbed  feet,  consisting  of  branching  toes  con- 
nected by  a  membrane,  which  enable  them  to  move 
with  equal  facility  in  the  water  as  on  land.  The 
swan,  with  its  stately  plumage,  frequents  chiefly  the 
inland  seas  and  lakes,  of  which  it  has  been  called 
the  peaceful  monarch.  The  goose,  a  less  elegant 
but  more  useful  species,  migrates  in  vast  numbers 
every  spring  to  breed  on  the  Arctic  shores  and  islands, 
and  affords  a  valuable  supply  of  food  to  all  the 
northern  settlements.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
salt  three  or  four  thousand  annually  for  winter.  The 
Indians  celebrate  the  month  of  their  arrival  under 
the  title  of  the  goose-moon.  Migration  during  the 
rigorous  season,  resorted  to  even  by  quadrupeds,  be- 
comes the  still  more  natural  resource  of  the  feathered 
creation.  Even  in  September  the  flocks  of  geevse, 
winging  their  way  to  the  southward,  supplied  a 
warning  to  Captain  Franklin  of  the  winter  that  was 
closing  in  upon  him. 

The  duck  reaches  a  still  higher  latitude  than  the 
goose,  and  endures  still  severer  cold.  Great  flocks 
of  that  species  called  the  eider  arrive  in  spring  on  the 
most  noilhern  shores  of  Greenland.  All  the  birds 
that  fly  over  the  frozen  seas  are  provided  by  Nature 
with  a  rich  and  ample  plumage,  and  a  lining  of  soft 
down  beneath;  and  the  people  of  these  countries 
find  the  skins  of  birds,  with  the  feathers  inside,  to 
be  one  of  their  most  comfortable  articles  of  clothing. 
But  the  down  of  all  the  known  species  of  birds  is 
surpassed  in  fineness  by  that  of  the  eider,  the  deli- 
ciouj  softness  of  which  fits  it  for  the  couch  of  kings. 
A  pound  of  eider-down,  according  to  Sir  Charles 
Gi'isecke,  is  usually  sold  for  a  pound  sterling. 
The  finest  is  that  which  thi;  birds  pluck  from  their 
breast  to  line  the  interior  of  the  nest.  The  Green- 
lander,  watching  his  time,  removes  this  precious 
lining  as>  soon  as  it  is  completed,  whereupon  the 


•'  If  f 


y 


76 


VEGETABLE   LIFE. 


It 


poor  animals  form  a  second,  destined  to  share  the 
same  fate. 

Among  other  Arctic  birds  are  the  terns,  which  on 
the  American  coast  are  so  very  nmnerous,  that  an 
island  has  been  named  from  the  immense  flocks  with 
which  it  is  annually  filled.  They  produce  the  most 
delicate  eggs  of  any  water-bird.  We  may  add  the 
colymbus  (guillemot),  whose  skin  affords  a  peculiarly 
comfortable  clothing, — the  tringa  (sandpiper),— the 
charadrius  (plover), — the  tetrao  (grouse,  and  ptarmi- 
gan), of  which  a  species,  much  valued  on  account  of 
the  delicacy  of  its  flesh,  occupies  the  interior  of 
Greenland.  All  ptarmigans  change  their  colour 
from  mottled  gray  or  brown  in  summer,  to  pure 
white  during  the  winter  months.  According  to  De 
Reste,  the  dark  summer  covering  is  shed  at  the  end 
of  autumn,  and  a  new  plumage  shoots  out,  which  is 
white,  till  darkened  by  the  warmth  of  the  following 
spring — or,  to  speak  more  accurately,  a  partial  moult 
takes  place  in  autumn,  during  which  all  the  coloured 
feathers  are  thrown  out,  and  their  places  supplied  by 
white  ones,  while  in  spring  most  of  these  white 
plumes  are  again  cast,  to  make  room  for  others, 
adorned  by  the  richer  and  more  varied  hues  of  sum- 
mer. Captain  Parry  saw  this  last  change  go  on  so 
rapidly  among  the  grouse  on  Melville  Island,  as  to 
be  perceptible  from  day  to  day. 

The  vegetable  world  does  not,  in  this  dark  and 
outer  boundary  of  the  earth,  possess  such  an  import- 
ant and  commanding  character  as  the  animal.  Na- 
ture, without  departing  wholly  from  her  system  and 
laws,  could  not  clothe  with  verdure  and  vegetation  a 
soil  which  for  nine  months  of  the  year  is  frozen  as 
hard  as  rock,  and  covered  with  snow  many  feet 
deep.  The  plants  of  more  genial  climates,  indeed, 
when  inserted  during  the  short  and  bright  summer, 
spring  up  and  wear  for  some  time  a  promising  ap- 
pearance ;  but  they  are  all  nipped  by  the  untimely  win- 
ter.   Stiil,  Nature,  in  the  northern  rep-ions,  especially 


I 


^ 


\TEGETABLE    LIFE. 


77 


the 


hi  those  approaching^  the  Arctic  zone,  does  employ 
resources  similar  to  those  by  which  she  cherishes 
animal  life.  The  fir,  the  pme,  and  other  trees  of 
these  climates,  on  being  pierced,  distil,  'lot  the  balmy 
and  fragrant  gums  of  Arabia  and  India,  but  rich, 
thick,  coarse  juices,  by  which  their  interior  heat  has 
been  preserved,  and  which,  in  the  shape  of  pitch,  tar, 
and  turpentine,  serve  many  valuable  purposes  of 
commerce.  Through  the  cherishing  influences  of 
these  juices,  the  lakes  of  North  America  are  bordered 
with  tall  dark  forests,  which  afford  to  the  agricultu- 
ral countries  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  valuable 
timber.  Even  their  gloomy  foliage,  while  the  forests 
of  the  south  are  every  autumn  strewing  the  grotmd 
with  their  faded  leaves,  brave  through  the  winter  all 
the  fury  of  the  northern  tempest.  Before  reaching, 
however,  the  inclement  sky  of  the  Arctic  bounaary, 
this  magnificent  growth  decays.  Trees  that  had 
been  the  pride  of  the  forest  dwindle  into  meager  and 
stunted  shrubs.  Beyond  the  Polar  circle,  these 
monarchs  of  the  wood,  if  they  appear,  rise  only  to 
the  height  of  a  few  feet,  throwingout  lateral  branches. 
On  Melville  peninsula,  dwarf-willow  and  the  andro- 
meda  tetragona  almost  alone  afforded  to  the  Esqui- 
maux a  scanty  supply  of  wood  for  their  arms  and 
utensils.  Considerable  quantities  of  drift-timber  are, 
however,  frequently  found  along  many  of  the  barren 
shores  of  the  Arctic  regions,  supposed  to  have  floated 
originally  from  the  mouths  of  the  Siberian  and  other 
northern  rivers. 

The  plants  which  abound  most  in  these  dreary 
climates  belong  to  the  tribes  of  mosses  and  lichens, 
the  cryptogamia  of  Linnaeus,  the  acotyledones  of  Jus- 
sieu.  The  meager  vegetation  with  which  the  Arctic 
surface  is  covered  thus  appears  rather  as  if  it  were 
an  exudation  from  the  rocks  than  the  produce  of  the 
soil.  Yet  the  moss  and  lichen,  which  form  the  pre- 
vailing features,  are  not  only  copiously  produced, 
but  possess  a  nutritious  and  salutary  quality,  not  dis- 

G2 


'!r 


i'  I 


t.      ■ 


78 


VEGETABLE    LIFE. 


m 


H 


•V    ^ 


1  ' 


^ 


played  in  more  fortunate  regions.  One  species  of 
lichen  (L.  rangiferinus)  forms,  as  it  were,  the  main 
staff  of  life  to  the  Laplander ;  it  supports  the  rein- 
deer, and  thv  reindeer  supports  him.  The  lichen 
of  Iceland,  boiled  in  sonp,  or  even  converted  into 
bread,  is  to  the  natives  a  substantial  part  of  their 
subsistence.  Farther  north,  where  the  depth  of  the 
snow,  and  the  continuance  of  frost,  drive  the  inhabit- 
ants to  the  shore  and  to  animal  food,  these  vegeta- 
bles still  afford  support  to  the  deer  and  to  the  other 
quadrupeds  which  they  use-  as  food.  It  is  even  with 
a  peculiar  species  of  moss  that  they  trim  their  lamps. 
T\iQ  fungus  or  mushroom,  which  draws  nourishment 
without  the  aid  of  a  proper  root,  and  the  filices  or 
ferns,  which  consist  only  of  one  spreading  leaf,  the 
middle  rib  of  which  forms  all  their  stalk,  while  their 
slender  roots  spread  under  the  ground, — these  find 
the  means  of  existence  even  in  Greenland. 

The  order  a/g-a,  and  especially  its  genus  Jucus, 
comprehending  nearly  all  the  variety  of  marine 
botany,  grows  in  vast  abundance  on  the  northern 
shores.  These  rude  plants,  which  have  little  or  no 
distinction  of  stem,  root,  or  leaves,  and  whose  fructifi- 
cation is  often  included  within  the  substance  of  the 
f lond,  '^over  the  Greenland  coast  with  submarine  mea- 
dows. The  con/ei^'x,  too,  with  their  numerous  fila- 
ments, spring  up  in  profusion. 

A  few  plants,  not  belonging  to  this  imperfect  order 
of  vegetation,  'mbellish,  during  the  short  summer 
gleam,  the  northern  fields.  Under  the  bright  influ- 
ence of  the  sun  at  this  season,  indeed,  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  among  the  floral  tribe  expand  their 
petals.  The  ranunculus  and  anemone  display  their 
rich  and  varied  tints ;  several  species  of  saxifrage  put 
forth  their  flowers ;  and  the  yellow  poppy  has  even 
a  gaudy  appearance — so  that  the  genus  papaver, 
which  enriches  the  plains  of  Hindostan,  is  among  the 
last  to  expire  under  the  snows  of  the  Pole.  The 
nobler  fruits  do  not  ripen  under  this  ungenial  sky ; 


VEGETABLE   LIFE. 


79 


yet  shrubs  producing  delicious  berries  appear  on  the 
borders,  at  least,  of  the  Arctic  zone  in  matchless 
profusion.  The  northern  Indians  consider  the  fruit 
of  a  bush  called  the  aronia  ovalis  as  the  most  deli- 
cious food ;  besides  which  they  have  the  strawberry, 
raspberry,  red  whortleberry,  and  various  others. 
Several  of  these  are  covered  beneath  the  first  snows 
of  winter,  which  are  supposed  to  mellow  them,  and 
which,  when  dissolved  by  spring,  show  the  berries 
still  hanging  on  the  branches,  while  the  buds  of  all 
the  others  are  bursting, — the  whole  producir  ^  a  deli- 
cious impression  unknown  to  those  who  Uave  not 
witnessed  the  desolation  which  imme'  ^ly  pre- 
ceded. 

These  bleak  climates  enjoy  a  precious  b  i  m  the 
plants  which  act  as  an  antidote  to  scurvy,  and  which 
defy  the  most  severe  cold  of  the  Arctic  zone.  The 
cochlearia,  a  thick  tufted  juicy  plant,  of  extreme  fe- 
cundity, is  emphatically  called  scurvy  grass ;  and  the 
different  species  of  sorrel,  especially  the  rumex  digy- 
nusy  were  found  by  Captain  Parry  flourishing  under 
the  snow  at  the  very  farthest  limit  of  vegetation. 

The  extraordinary  phenomenon  of  red  snotw  ob- 
served by  Capt.  Ross  and  our  other  Arctic  voyagers, 
naturally  excited  the  greatest  interest  both  at  home 
and  abroad.  This  singular  aspect  of  a  substance, 
with  which  we  never  fail  to  associate  an  idea  of  the 
purest  and  most  radiant  whiteness,  has  been  ascer- 
tained to  result  from  an  assemblage  of  veiy  minute 
vegetable  bodies,  belonging  to  the  class  of  cryptoga- 
mic  plants  and  the  natural  order  called  algas.  They 
form  the  species  uamed^ro^ococcws  mva/i*  by  Agardh, 
which  is  synonymous  with  the  uredo  nivalis  of 
Mr.  Bauer.  This  plant  seems  by  no  means  pecu- 
liar to  the  Arctic  snows,  but  occurs  on  limestone 
rocks  in  the  island  of  Lismore  in  Scotland,  as  well 
as  among  the  Alpine  and  other  countries  of  Eu- 
rope. Saussure  observed  it  so  long  ago  as  in  the 
year  1760  on  Mount  Breven  in  Switzerland,  and  so 


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33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

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(716)  173-4303 


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80 


VEGETABLE  LIFE. 


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11^' 


IVequently  after  that  period  that  he  expresses  his  sur 
prise  at  its  having  escaped  the  notice  of  Scheuchzer 
and  other  learned  travellers.  Ramond,  whose  ob- 
servations so  beautifully  combine  the  precision  of 
science  with  the  perception  of  the  picturesque,  found 
red  snow  on  the  mountains  of  the  Pyrenees,  as  did 
Sommerfeldt,  the  botanist,  on  those  of  Norway.  In 
the  year  1818,  vast  masses  of  the  same  substance 
overspread  both  the  Apennines  and  the  Italian  Alps ; 
and  it  is  recorded,  then  ten  years  prior  to  that  period 
the  vicinity  of  Belluno  and  Feltri  were  covered  to 
the  depth  of  twenty  Centimetres  with  rose-coloured 
snow. 

According  to  Captain  Ross,  the  Arctic  mountains 
on  which  he  observed  the  red  snow  are  about  600 
feet  high,  and  extend  eight  miles  in  length.  The 
depth  to  which  the  colour  penetrated  has  been  vari- 
ously stated  by  different  observers.  Some  found 
that  it  descended  many  feet  beneath  the  surface, 
while  others  never  ascertained  that  it  spread  beyond 
one  or  two  inches.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  colouring  matter  itself,  as  well  as  the  snow, 
is  a  meteorological  product,  although  Humboldt  cer- 
tainly mentions  a  shower  of  red  hail  which  fell  at 
Paramo  de  Guanacos,  in  Soutli  America.  Moisture 
is  no  doubt  essential  to  the  production  of  this  plant, 
as  it  is  to  that  of  all  the  other  algae ;  but  when  once 
formed,  it  seems  to  possess  the  power  of  continued 
and  increasing  vegetation,  even  over  rocks  and  stones, 
with  only  an  occasional  supply  of  fluid.  The  propa- 
gation of  minute  vegetable  forms,  like  the  increase 
of  animalcules,  is  effected,  under  favourable  circum 
stances,  with  a  rapidity  of  developement  truly  asto- 
nishing ;  and  the  most  probable  conjecture  seems  to 
be,  that  snow  is  not  the  natural  situation  of  the  protO' 
coccus  n^'ttlis,  but  that,  from  its  great  tenacity  of  life, 
it  not  only  preserves  its  vitality  on  that  chilly  and 
ungenial  surface,  but,  during  the  partial  thawing  of 
(he  snow,  continues  to  increase  and  multiply.    If 


VEOETABLG  LIFE. 


such  be  the  case,  it  is  easy  to  suppose  how  a  wide 
expanse  may  be  covered  with  this  red  suffusion, 
during  the  dissolving  and  occasional  flowing  of  the 
snowy  waters.  When  once  established  among  tlie 
eternal  snows  of  the  north,  it  becomes  more  nume- 
rous than  the  sands  of  the  ocean ;  and,  increasing  in 
density  from  year  to  year,  at  last  presents  to  the  as- 
tonished and  admiring  navigator  a  sight  more  sur- 
prising in  its  reality  than  any  of  the  fabled  wonders 
of  an  Arabian  tale. 

A  singular  coincidence  has  been  observed  by  bo- 
tanists to  exist  between  a  white  ground  and  a  red 
flower.  Thus  the  rich  and  brilliant  variety  of  an^ 
thyllis  vtUnaria  is  only  found  on  a  chalky  surface ; 
and  many  of  the  higher  orders  of  flowering  plants 
show  a  decided  tendency  to  produce  red-coloured 
petals  when  they  happen  to  spring  up  on  white  lime- 
stone. "How  much  more  forcibly,  then,"  says 
Agardh,  **  must  this  law  operate  upon  plants  like  the 
algae,  in  which  colour  is  an  essential  part."  That 
excess  of  light  produces  the  peculiar,  or  at  least  pre- 
vailing, colour  of  the  snow-plant,  may  be  said  to  be 
demonstrated  by  this  singular  fact,  that  the  red 
colour  gradually  changes  to  green  as  it  occurs  more 
or  less  secluded  from  the  action  of  light  among  tlie 
Assures  of  rocks,  or  beneath  the  hollows  or  under- 
surfaces  of  stones.  This  being  the  case,  it  will  ap- 
pear the  less  incomprehensible  that  the  same  plant 
which  is  produced  amid  the  snows  of  the  Arctic  re- 
gions, or  the  highly-elevated  Alps  of  more  southern 
countries,  should  be  occasionally  detected,  even  dur- 
ing the  heats  of  summer,  covering  the  brilliant  white 
limestone  of  the  plains.  In  the  last-named  locality 
it  was  discovered  by  the  Baron  Wrangler  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Nerike,  and  named  by  him  lepraria  kermt' 
sina ;  and  the  two  supposed  species  have  been  since 
as(rertained  to  be  one  and  the  same. 

In  concluding  our  notice  of  this  singular  subject, 
we  may  observe,  that  when  the  warmth  of  the  return 


V^ 


.,  I! 


82 


TEOETABLE   LIFE. 


iag  san  has  partially  dissolved  the  surface  of  the 
snow,  and  thus  contributed  to  the  formation  and  de- 
velopement  of  these  microscopical  plants,  the  vivify- 
ing power  of  the  solar  light,  aided  by  some  peculiar 
and  as  yet  unknown  property  belonging  to  the  natural 
whiteness  of  the  snow  itself,  is  highly  influential  in 
the  production  of  the  beautiful  colour  by  which  they 
are  distinguished. 


1 


ANCIENT   VOYAGES. 


83 


CHAPTER  HI. 

Ancient  Voyages  to  the  Korth.  ■-. 

The  voyages  to  the  north,  undertaken  prior  to  the 
great  era  of  maritime  enterprise  and  the  invention 
of  the  compass,  were  few  in  number,  and  scarcely 
extended  into  those  circumpolar  regions  which  form 
the  special  subject  of  the  present  volume.  It  will 
be  enough,  therefore,  to  take  a  rapid  sketch  of  the 
steps  by  which  discovery  proceeded  towards  these 
remote  and  almost  inaccessible  quarters. 

The  Mediterranean,  the  shores  of  which  consti- 
tuted the  first  civilized  portion  of  the  west,  was  the 
quarter  ^here  European  navigation  originated.  As 
Tyre,  situated  in  the  depth  of  that  sea,  was  the 
earliest  seat  of  commerce,  Carthage,  the  daughter  of 
Tyre,  was  doubtless  the  first  state  which  undertook 
any  extensive  discoveries  upon  the  ocean.  These, 
however,  were  shrouded  In  deep  mystery,  prompted 
by  the  jealous  and  monopolizing  temper  of  this 
people,  once  so  powerful  and  opulent.  The  classic 
writers  give  only  some  slight  and  detached  notices 
of  the  voyage  of  Himilco,  who  appears  to  have  sailed 
along  the  exterior  coasts  of  Spain  and  France,  and 
to  have  reached  the  southern  extremity  of  Britain. 
This  was  probably  only  the  first  of  a  series  of 
voyages  carried  on  with  the  view  of  procuring  tin,  a 
metal  rare  and  valued  in  those  days.  The  Cassi- 
terides,  or  islands  of  tin,  which  appear  to  be  Cora- 
wall  and  the  Scilly  Isles  combined  together,  are  a 
mysterious  and  celebrated  name  among  the  primi- 
tive authors  of  Europe. 

The  most  distinguished  of  the  Greek  navigators  to 


Mi  ' 


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<l    • 


■o^ 


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r 


ANCIENT  VOYAGCS. 


the  north  was  Pytheas,  a  citizen  of  Marseilles,  a 
commercial  Greek  colony,  which,  favoured  by  its 
situation,  had  become  the  chief  emporium  of  the 
commerce  of  Britain,  already  of  some  importance. 
This  commerce,  however,  was  carried  on,  not  by  the 
ocean,  but  by  a  land  carriage  through  Gaul.  Pytheas 
seems  the  first  who,  ir '^';)ired  by  motives  of  intelligent 
curiosity,  endeavoured  by  a  maritime  route  to  reach 
the  British  coast,  and  to  penetrate  to  the  remotest 
extremities  of  the  north.  Our  knowledge  of  this 
voyage  is  indeed  imperfect,  since  it  is  Smost  en- 
tirely due  to  Strabo,who,  while  he  relates  it,  derides 
the  whole  as  a  palpable  forgery;  yet  the  very  par- 
ticulars on  which  he  founds  this  charge  go  far  to  es- 
tablish the  contrary.  Pytheas  appears  to  nave  passed 
the  Straits,  and  sailed  along  the  western  coasts  of 
France  and  Spain,  which,  from  previous  misconcep- 
tion, he  confoimds  together.  Thence  he  seems  to 
have  directed  his  course  through  the  English  Chan- 
nel, and  along  the  eastern  coasts  of  England  and 
Scotland,  till  he  reached  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  island.  Not  content  with  this  achievement,  he 
continued  to  sail  onwards  into  the  depths  of  ocean, 
till  in  six  days  he  arrived  at  Thule,  an  island,  where 
it  appeared  to  him  that  perpetual  light  reigned  at 
midsuminer  through  the  day  and  night.  Immediately 
beyond,  his  progress  was  arrested  by  a  barrier  of  a 
peculiar  nature,  by  something  which  was  neither 
earth,  air,  nor  sky,  but  a  compound  of  all  the  three, 
forming  a  thick  viscid  substance,  through  which  it 
was  impossible  to  penetrate.  These  statements  have 
afforded  much  advantage  to  the  skeptical  adversaries 
of  Pytheas ;  yet  the  summer  days  of  Shetland  are 
really  very  long,  and  the  thick  and  gloomy  mists, 
with  which  the  northern  sea  is  often  loaded,  might 
make  a  peculiar  impression  on  one  who  had  ventured 
into  this  unknown  ocean,  so  far  beyond  the  limit  of 
former  navigation :  they  might  make  him  prone  to 
be]ieve  that  he  had  arrived  at  the  farthest  boundaries 


of 
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duct 


ANCIENT  V0TAGE9. 


85 


of  nature.  It  seems  difficult,  howerer,  to  suppose, 
with  Bougainville,  that  the  voyage  of  Pytheas  should 
ever  have  extended  as  far  as  Iceland ;  out  in  another 
direction  he  appears  to  have  penetrated  to  the  Baltic, 
and  also  to  have  brought  home  some  correct  accounts 
of  its  shores,  then  known  to  the  people  on  the  Medi* 
terranean  almost  solely  by  the  qualities  of  the  amber 
which  was  imported  from  thence. 

The  voyage  of  Pytheas,  though  apparently  quite 
authentic,  did  not  lead  to  any  change  in  the  channels 
of  Massylian  trade.  It  was  found  probably  both 
cheaper  and  more  commodious  to  transport  the  pro- 
ductions of  Britain  through  Gaul,  than  to  convey 
them  by  means  of  such  a  lengthened  and  perilous 
voyage.  The  only  farther  additions  to  ancient 
knowledge  respecting  the  northern  seas  were  made 
by  the  Romans,  who,  in  order  to  conquer,  were 
obliged  to  explore  the  earth.  Agricola,  before 
undertaking  the  campaign  which  was  to  reduce 
Scotland  into  a  province,  sent  fleets  to  explore  its 
most  northern  shores  and  bays.  The  Romans,  how- 
ever, never  appear  to  have  sent  naval  expeditions, 
having  discovery  alone  in  view,  to  the  north,  or  per- 
haps to  any  other  quarter.  Their  delineation  of 
Scotland  itself  is  excessively  rude ;  and  though  they 
had  traced  the  shores  of  Europe  eastward  as  far  as 
Russia,  Scandinavia  appeared  to  them  only  as  a 
cluster  of  large  islands  in  the  North  Sea. 

In  the  decline  of  the  Roman  empire,  that  country^ 
formerly  almost  unknown,  became  the  seat  of  a  most 
formidable  and  extensive  naval  power.  Norway, 
under  the  terrible  dominion  of  Harold  the  Fair- 
haired,  and  Denniark,  under  Gorm  and  Canute,  sent 
forth  fleets  which  pillaged  all  the  maritime  territories 
of  Europe,  and  reduced  many  of  them  to  temporary  or 
even  final  subjection.  Theijr  expeditions,  however, 
were  from  the  north,  not  io  the  north.  Their  objects 
were,  not  science,  but  ravage  and  conquest.  The 
Runic  tribes,  indeed,  were  not  without  some  tincture 

H 


1?  ^1 


i.  i. 


i 


86 


ANCIENT  VOYAGES. 


of  letters  and  poetry;  but  their  sagas^  or  poetical 
chronicles,  celebrate  only  the  exploits  of  their  mighty 
sea-kings  and  rovers,  not  any  theme  connected  with 
commerce  and  the  arts  of  peace.  Yet  a  communi- 
cation with  these  tribes  enabled  Alfred,  an  illustrious 
monarch,  who  shone  so  bright  in  that  dark  age,  to 
collect  information  respecting  those  extremities  of 
the  earth  which  had  remained  unknown  to  the 
Greeks  and  Romans.  Ohthere,  a  chief  who  had 
come  from  the  upper  tracts  of  Norway,  afforded 
some  intelligence  even  respecting  a  voyage  under- 
taken along  the  Arctic  shores  of  Europe. 

Ohthere  was  considered  a  rich  man  in  his  own 
country,  being  owner  of  twenty  oxen,  twenty  sheep* 
and  six  hundred  tame  reindeer.  Fired  by  a  spirit  of 
liberal  research,  he  undertook  a  voyage  to  discover 
the  regions  which  lay  to  the  north  of  the  high  latitude 
in  which  his  domain  was  situated.  He  sailed  six 
days  in  that  direction,  which  appears  to  have  brought 
him  to  the  North  Cape,  the  farthest  point  of  Europe ; 
he  then  turned  three  days  towards  the  east,  and 
afterward  five  days  to  the  south.  All  this  while  the 
land  on  his  right  was  desolate,  traversed  only  by  a 
few  wandering  shepherds  and  hunters,  of  Fiiniish 
race.  Then,  however,  he  reached  a  large  river,  the 
opposite  side  of  which  was  somewhat  densely  inha- 
bited by  the  Biarmians,  or  people  of  northern  Russia, 
who  showed  such  a  hostile  dii^position  as  obliged  him 
to  return.  The  fishery  of  the  horse-whale  (walrus) 
was  found  to  be  carried  on  here  with  such  advantage, 
that  many  were  afterward  induced  to  follow  the 
same  course.  Forster  delineates  the  navigation  of 
Ohthere  as  reaching  to  the  interior  of  the  White  Sea ; 
but  we  do  not  think  the  period  of  eight  days  from 
the  North  Cape  could  have  carried  him  farther  than 
the  river  Kola,  which  agrees  also  with  the  supposi- 
tion of  his  having  been  arrested  on  the  frontier  of 
Russian  Lapland. 

The  direction  in  which  the  Northmen  sought  rich 


ANCIENT   VOYAGES. 


m 


kingdoms  to  plunder  and  to  conquer  was  always  the 
south.  To  quit  th^ir  bleak  regions  in  search  of 
others  still  more  bleak,  would  have  been  wholly 
foreign  to  their  views ;  yet,  as  the  sea  was  covered 
with  their  sails,  chance  and  tempest  sometimes  drove 
them  in  that  other  direction.  In  861,  Nadodd, 
during  a  piratical  excursion,  unexpectedly  discovered 
Iceland.  This  country  had  little  to  tempt  a  nation 
of  freebooters ;  yet  so  it  chanced,  that  there  existed 
materials  for  its  colonization.  Harold,  in  msdiing 
himself  master  of  all  Norway,  had  crushed  the  lights 
and  sway  of  numerous  petty  chieftains,  and  had  thus 
created  a  large  body  of  malecontents.  He  was  will- 
ing to  grant,  and  they  to  accept,  a  permanent  refuge 
in  this  frozen  clime.  Numerous  bodies  of  emigrants 
proceeded  successively  to  Iceland,  where  they  were 
organized  into  a  free  and  independent  community. 
They  even  crossed  to  the  opposite  coast  of  Green- 
land, and  formed  settlements,  which  for  some  time 
were  tolerably  flourishing,  though  they  have  since 
either  perished  or  lost  all  communication  with  Ice- 
land. During  the  eleventh  century,  however,  chance 
or  enterprise  led  Greenland  navigators  southward  to 
another  coast,  which  they  called  Vinland,  and  which 
has  been  very  generally  believed  to  be  America, 
though,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  authorities 
on  which  this  opinion  rests,  we  have  been  led  to  sup- 
pose that  the  new  country  was  merely  a  more  south- 
ern point  of  Greenland.  The  limits  of  the  present 
work,  however,  will  not  admit  any  detailed  accoimt 
of  these  settlements. 

The  republican  cities  of  Italy,  during  the  middle 
ages,  rekindled  the  extinct  spirit  of  commerce  and 
navigation,  which  they  raised  to  a  degree  of  prospe- 
rity equalling  probably  that  attained  by  Tyre  and 
Carths^e  during  the  height  of  their  ancient  glory. 
These  cities  reached  a  measure  of  power  and  opu- 
lence which  enabled  them  to  rank  with  the  greatest 
kingdoms.    Their  trade,  however,  lay  chiefly  withm 


u 


\ih 


88 


ANCIENT  VOYAGES. 


the  Mediterranean,  especially  its  eastern  border, 
whither  were  brought  over  land  or  by  the  Red  Sea 
the  commodities  of  India.  Few  were  disposed  to 
quit  this  bright  and  golden  track  to  face  the  tem- 
pests of  the  ocean  and  of  the  north ;  yet  were  there 
not  wanting  a  few  adventurous  spirits  who  undertook 
and  were  able  to  penetrate  into  these  remote  seas. 

Nicolo  Zeno,  an  eminent  and  noble  merchant  of 
Venice,  undertook,  in  1380,  a  voyage  to  Flanders, 
during  which  a  tempest  drove  him  upon  a  coast  which 
he  calls  Friesland.  The  position  of  this  unknown 
shore  has  been  a  subject  of  controversy ;  and  some 
have  even  had  recourse  to  the  hypothesis  of  its  having 
been  since  swallowed  up  by  the  ocean.  When,  how 
ever,  we  find  that  Friesland  was  in  fact  a  cluster  of 
islands,  to  which  are  applied  the  names,  Talas,  Broas, 
Bres,  Iscant,  easily  converted  into  Zeal,  Brassa, 
Unst,  we  may  conclude  with  Forster  that  it  is  pro- 
bably one  and  the  same  with  the  Shetland  Isles. 
Zeno,  being  cast  ashore  in  a  state  completely  desti- 
tute, was  received  with  great  kindness  by  the  Prince 
Zichmni,  whose  name  seems  to  be  a  corruption  of 
Sinclair.  Finding  Zeno  eminently  skilled  in  naval 
affairs,  he  reposed  the  highest  confidence  in  him,  and 
placed  under  his  command  various  naval  expeditions. 
So  pleased  was  the  Venetian  with  the  favour  of  this 
northern  potentate,  that  he  invited  his  brother  An- 
tonio to  join  him.  The  only  voyage,  however,  which 
seems  to  have  carried  him  far  to  the  north  was  one 
to  Greenland,  and  he  gives  a  somewhat  romantic 
account  of  a  religious  establishment  formed  in  that 
country.  The  convent  was  built  on  the  side  of  a 
hill,  whence  burst  a  copious  boiling  spring,  whose 
waters  enabled  the  monks  to  vanquish  all  the  evils 
of  the  climate ;  when  spread  on  the  frozen  soil,  they 
applied  it  for  the  production  of  the  most  useful  herbs 
and  culinary  plants ;  when  introduced  into  the  houses, 
they  warmed  with  it  the  apartments,  and  cooked  the 
victuals.     Thev  were  likewise  supplied  from  the 


i 


ANCIENT   VOYArES. 


80 


country  with  abundance  of  fish,  reindeer,  and  wild 
fowl;  and  vessels  from  Norway  brought  to  them  the 
luxuries  of  life.  Zeno  undertook  other  voyages  in  a 
different  direction,  which  have  even  been  supposed 
to  reach  as  far  as  America;  but  we  incline  to  think 
that  the  passages  which  have  suggested  this  conclu- 
sion are  either  misunderstood  or  interpolated. 

Quirini,  another  Italian  nobleman,  in  1431,  under- 
took a  similar  voyage,  and  was  driven  by  a  similar 
tempest  on  the  coast  of  Norway.  The  southern 
mariners  arrived  in  the  most  miserable  plight,  having 
lost  the  ship  and  been  obliged  to  take  to  their  boats, 
after  the  greater  part  of  the  crew  had  perished  of 
hunger,  cold,  and  especially  thirst.  They  were  thrown 
first  on  a  small  uninhabited  island,  where,  having 
erected  two  tents,  and  found  a  large  fish,  they  con- 
trived to  support  life.  After  some  days,  a  fisherman 
and  two  boys  came  in  a  boat  to  the  island,  and  were 
at  first  terrified  by  the  sight  of  the  strangers ;  but, 
by  courteous  address,  were  soon  prevailed  upon  to 
take  with  them  two  of  the  sailors,  Gerard  of  Lyons, 
and  Cola  of  Otranto.  They  rowed  to  a  village  on 
the  neighbouring  island  of  Rost,  where  they  met  the 
kindest  reception.  As  it  chanced  to  be  Sunday,  the 
priests  exhorted  the  congregation  to  afford  all  the 
assistance  in  their  power  to  these  unfortunate  stran- 
gers. Six  boats  were  fitted  out,  the  appearance  of 
which  (Uspelled  all  the  fears  of  Quirini,  and  filled  him 
with  joy.  The  chief  native  now  gave  a  cordial  wel- 
come, and  having  set  before  him  some  rye  bread  and 
beer,  invited  him  to  the  habitations  on  the  island. 
The  Italians  were  there  received  and  treated  with 
uninterrupted  kindness  during  a  stay  of  three  months, 
in  which  time  they  completely  recovered  from  all 
their  distress  and  fatigue.  The  natives  of  this  little 
island,  about  120  in  number,  subsisted  on  stock-fish, 
which  they  dried  and  carried  to  the  market  of  Ber- 
gen, where  purchasers  arrived  from  Germany  and 
other  countries;  also  on  sea-fowl,  which  in  vast 

H2 


V 


H» 


i 


I  I       I: 


■S  li      i 


\l 


m 
'iff 

ill 

I 


(: 


■       • ,'  1 » ' 

■       i 

,•1- 


f     i! 


90 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


:■  ■■fi 


flocks  covered  all  the  surrounding  rocks,  and  even 
built  on  the  sides  of  the  houses.  Many  of  these 
birds  were  so  tame,  that  when  the  natives  walked  up 
to  their  nests,  they  were  wont  to  step  off,  allow  two 
or  three  eggs  to  be  taken,  and  then  resume  their 
seat.  The  people  were  most  strict  in  their  attend- 
ance  on  religious  duties,  and  carried  their  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  Providence  so  very  far,  that  they 
rejoiced  and  sometimes  even  held  a  festival  at  the 
death  of  near  relations.  The  Italians,  accustomed 
to  the  feelings  of  southern  jealousy,  were  extremely 
surprised  to  see  all  the  members  of  a  family  sleep* 
ing  together  in  one  apartment,  which  they  them- 
selves were  admitted  to  share,  without  the  remotest 
feeling  of  impropriety.  In  summer,  both  sexes 
walked  naked  to  the  nearest  pool,  and  bathed,  pro- 
miscuously, all  in  perfect  innocence,  and  without 
awakening  any  suspicion, — a  practice  indeed  which 
pretty  generally  prevails  in  the  northern  countries 
of  Europe  at  the  present  day. 

The  summer  having  arrived,  Quirini  took  occasion 
to  go  with  the  annual  ship  to  Drontheim,  and,  travel- 
ling thence  by  land  to  Sweden,  he  found'  a  vessel 
bound  for  Rostock,  in  which  he  finally  returned  to 
Italy  by  way  of  England. 


■('; 


.t 


♦:',- 


CHAPTER  IV.  '      vt 

Voyages  in  Search  of  a  North'East  Passage* 

The  latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  century  may  be 
fixed  upon  as  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  world 
when  maritime  discovery  proceeded  on  the  greatest 
scale,  with  the  most  splendid  results,  and  the  most 
extensive  influence  on  the  condition  of  mankind. 


Tral 

dis] 
but 
distJ 
rous 
nei 
rewi 
An{ 
indi 
not 
but 
El 
Eur 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


91 


Travellers  and  navigators  of  the  present  day  have 
displayed  an  enterprise  ^hich  nothing  could  exceed ; 
but  there  remained  for  their  efforts  only  the  dark  and 
distant  boundaries  of  ocean,  or  the  interior  of  barba- 
rous continents.  On  the  contrary,  vast  kingdoms, 
new  worlds,  regions  teeming  with  unbounded  wealth, 
rewarded  the  daring  career  of  Gama  and  Columbus. 
A  new  direction  was  given  to  human  ambition  and 
industry ;  and  the  discovery  of  distant  regions  became 
not  only  a  commercial  speculation  with  individuals, 
but  a  grand  object  of  national  policy. 

England,  one  of  the  most  powerM  kingdoms  of 
£urope,  had  always  shown  herself  ready  to  embark 
in  every  scheme  of  utility :  yet  she  was  not  alto- 
gether ripe  for  these  extensive  undertakings.  The 
nations  of  Southern  Europe  were  then  nearly  a  cen- 
tury in  advance  of  those  ruder  states  which  lay  be- 
yond the  Alps  and  the  P3nrenee8.  Venice,  Genoa, 
Seville,  Lisbon,  not  London  or  Amsterdam,  were  the 
great  schools  of  commerce  and  navigation.  The 
habits  and  ideas  of  the  feudal  system,  its  proud  in- 
dolence and  contempt  of  mechanical  pursuits,  were 
only  in  the  course  of  being  gradually  superseded  ; 
and  the  mercantile  interest  possessed  as  yet  only  a 
small  share  of  that  pre-eminent  importance  to  which 
it  has  since  attained. 

Henry  VII.,  amid  these  unfavourable  circum- 
stances, and  with  nothing  of  the  heroic  or  adven- 
turous in  his  composition,  possessed  yet  qualities 
which  enabled  him  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  ma- 
ritime undertakings.  Every  thing  which  afforded 
any  promise  of  filling  his  coffers  was  congenial  to  the 
taste  of  that  monarch ;  and  for  this  reason  he  showed 
himself  ready  to  meet  the  aspiring  views  of  Colum- 
bus with  greater  promptitude  than  any  other  monarch 
of  the  age.  That  great  navigator,  after  vain  solicita- 
tion at  the  courts  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  sent  his 
brother  Bartholomew  to  make  propositions  to  Henry, 
which  were  very  readily  accepted ;  but  before  his 


} 


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a 


Hi 


,*- 


f  1 


ill 


62 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


r  { 


'. 


messenger  returned  to  Spain,  Columbus,  under  the 
auspices  of  Isabella,  was  already  crossing  the  At- 
lantic. It  was  afterward  with  the  full  sanction  and 
favour  of  Henry,  though  not  at  his  expense,  that  John 
Oabot  made  that  important  voyage  in  which  he  dis- 
covered Newfoundland,  an  island  which,  though  not 
fitted  for  culture,  has  become  the  well-known  seat  of 
the  greatest  fishery  in  the  world.  He  was  also  the 
first  European  who  came  into  contact  with  any  part 
of  the  mainland  of  America.  That  prince  afterward 
granted  to  John  Elliot  and  Thomas  Ashurst  of  Bris- 
tol, with  several  natives  of  Portugal,  letters-patent, 
to  undertake  the  discovery  of  lands  and  regions  un- 
3;nown ;  but  the  result  of  their  expedition  is  not  re- 
corded. 

Notwithstanding  these  proceedings,  England  had 
not  yet  thoroughly  imbibed  the  true  spirit  of  mari- 
time enterprise.  It  had  been  kindled  at  a  foreign 
shrine,  and,  when  deprived  of  external  support,  gra- 
dually languished.  This  flame  became  nearly  ex- 
tinct during  the  long  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  That 
prince,  full  of  bustle,  needy  of  money,  and  not  de- 
void of  intelligence,  might  have  been  supposed  rathei 
prompt  to  embark  in  such  enterprises ;  but,  involved 
in  so  many  disputes,  domestic  and  theological,  and 
studying,  though  with  little  skill,  to  hold  the  balance 
between  the  two  great  continental  rivals,  Charles 
and  Francis,  he  was  insensible  to  the  glory  and  ad- 
vantages to  be  derived  from  maritime  expeditions. 
Sebastian  Cabot,  the  son  of  the  navigator  just  named, 
in  order  to  obtain  employment,  was  obliged  to  quit 
Endand  and  repair  to  Spain,  where  he  was  received 
with  much  favour,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  either  in  attempts  at  discovery,  or  in  a  quiet  re- 
sidence at  Seville,  where  he  was  consulted  and  re- 
vered as  a  nautical  oracle. 

After  a  long  slumber,  the  maritime  genius  of 
England  was  suddenly  roused.  It  burst  forth  under 
a  young  prince  of  high  hope  and  promise.    In  1553, 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


the  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  the  mer- 
chants of  London,  among  whom  are  said  to  have  been 
"  men  of  great  wisdom  and  gravity,"  felt  a  sudden 
and    extreme   ardom*   in   the  cause  of  discovery. 
There  chanced  at  that  critical  moment  to  be  in  Lon- 
don no  less  a  person  than  the  younger  Cabot,  who  had 
aided  his  father  in  the  discovery  of  North  America, 
and  who,  as  already  mentioned,  had  afterward,  while 
residing  abroad,  become  an  oracle  in  every  thing  con- 
nected with  navigation.    With  him  the  merchants  en- 
tered into  deep  consultation,  and  in  conjunction  with 
him  formed  the  general  plan  of  a  voyage,  having 
in  view  to  reach,  by  way  of  the  north  and  north-east, 
the  opulent  and  celebrated  regions  of  India  and  Ca- 
thay.   The  obstacles  to  such  an  undertaking  could 
not  yet  be  fully  appreciated.    No  just  idea  could  at 
that  time  be  formed  of  the  immense  breadth  of  Asia, 
its  extension  towards  the  north,  and  the  enormous 
masses  of  ice  with  which  its  shores  are  encumbered. 
The  youthful  monarch,  whether  he  had  any  influ- 
ence in  inspiring  this  general  ardour,  or  whether  he 
caught  the  flame  from  his  people,  showed  certainly 
the  most  eager  interest  in  the  cause.    He  had  already 
named  Sebastian  Cabot  grand  pilot  of  England,  with 
a  salary,  considerable  in  that  age,  of  j£l66.    It  was 
not  by  royal  munificence,  however,  that  the  funds 
were  supplied  for  prosecuting  this  arduous  enterprise. 
An  association,  or  senate,  as  it  is  called,  was  formed, 
who  judged  it  most  advisable  to  divide  the  concern 
into  shares  of  £25,  by  'vhich  means  the  sum  of  six 
thousand  pounds  was  easily  raised,  and  employed 
in  the  construction  and  equipment  of  three  vessels 
fitted  for  northern  navigation.     The  preparations, 
with  a  due  regard  to  the  formidable  character  and 
length  of  the  voyage,  were  made  on  a  scale  of  which 
there  had  been  no  previous  example ;  Cabot  says, 
"the  like  was  never  in  any  realm  seen,  used,  or 
known.     The  timbers  were  made  of  extraordinary 
strength,  by  the  best  shipwrights;  the  keel  was 


n 


i' 


:    V 


If 


:?«' 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


covered  with  thin  sheets  of  lead,  a  contrivance  then 
practised  for  the  first  time,  and  since  found  most  im- 
portant ;  provisions  for  eighteen  months  were  put  on 
board.  Cabot,  though  unable,  probably  from  his  age, 
to  accompany  the  expedition,  drew  out  a  series  of 
instructions,  in  which  the  whole  conduct  to  be  ob- 
served by  the  officers  and  crew  is  minutely  laid  down. 
He  enjoins  strict  attention  to  private  conduct  and 
morals ;  that  morning  and  evening  prayers  be  read  on 
board  each  ship,  either  by  the  chaplain  or  master ; 
that  there  be  no  "  ribaldry  or  ungodly  talk,  dicing, 
carding,  tabling,  nor  other  devilish  games."  He  pro- 
hibits all  acts  tending  to  the  breach  of  discipline, 
"  conspiracies,  part-takings,  factions,  false  tales, 
which  be  the  veiy  seeds  and  fruits  of  contention.*' 
Naval  subordination  being  in  that  age  only  imper- 
fectly established,  and  the  tendency  to  mutiny  ex- 
tremely strong,  these  exhortations  were  most  neces- 
sary and  important.  All  questions  respecting  the 
steering  of  the  ship  were  to  be  decided  by  a  council 
of  twelve,  the  captain  having  only  a  double  vote. 
Persons  skilled  in  writing  were,  in  each  ship,  to  keep 
a  daily  record  of  the  course  of  navigation,  the  ce- 
lestial observations,  the  aspect  of  the  lands  along 
which  they  sailed,  with  every  other  interesting  oc- 
currence. The  masters  of  the  different  ships  were  to 
meet  weekly,  compare  these  records,  and,  after  com- 
bining them  with  each  other,  enter  them  in  a  com- 
mon leger.  Directions  are  even  given  for  keeping 
weekly  accounts,  maintaining  the  cook-room  and 
other  parts  of  the  ship  clean,  and  preventing  any 
liquor  from  being  spilled  upon  them.  The  natives  of 
the  countries  which  they  visited  were  "  to  be  consi- 
dered advisedly,  and  treated  with  gentleness  and 
courtesy,  without  any  disdain,  laughing,  or  con- 
tempt." Particular  endeavours  were  to  be  made  by 
fair  means  to  allure  some  one  on  board,  where  he 
was  to  be  well  clothed  and  treated,  so  as  to  allure 
others;  but  we  cannot  so  much  applaud  the  hint, 


ob- 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


that  "  if  he  be  made  drunk  with  your  wine  or  beer, 
you  shall  know  the  secrets  of  his  heart."  The  mari- 
ners are  exhorted,  however,  to  use  the  utmost  cir- 
cumspection in  their  dealings  with  these  strangers, 
and  ii  invited  to  dine  with  any  lord  or  ruler,  to  go 
well  armed,  and  in  a  posture  of  defence.  The 
liveries  furnished  to  the  sailors  were  to  be  carefully 
kept  by  the  mercantile  agents,  and  to  be  worn  only 
when  their  captain  considered  it  an  object  to  show 
them  "in  good  array  for  the  advancement  and 
honour  of  the  voyage."  He  warns  the  mariners  not 
to  be  too  much  alarmed  when  they  saw  the  natives 
dressed  in  lions'  and  bears'  skins,  with  long  bows  and 
arrows,  as  this  formidable  appearance  was  often  as- 
sumed merely  to  inspire  terror.  However,  he  seems 
to  suggest  a  still  more  chimerical  fear,  when  he  tell» 
them,  that  there  are  persons  armed  with  bows,  who 
swim  naked,  in  various  seas,  havens,  and  rivers, 
"  desirous  of  the  bodies  of  men,  which  they  covet 
for  meat,"  and  against  whom  diligent  watch  must 
be  kept  night  and  day.  We  know  not  whether  some 
confused  rumour  of  the  shark  and  alligator  had  an 
mfluence  in  suggesting  this  strange  precaution. 

The  question  was  now  to  elect  a  fitting  commander, 
and  many  offers  were  made  both  by  persons  qualified 
and  unqualified.  The  choice  for  the  supreme  direc- 
tion fell  finally  on  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby.  His  re- 
commendations, as  mentioned  by  Adams,  were  high 
birth,  tall  and  handsome  person,  valiant  conduct, 
and  skill  in  war, — merits  probably  enhanced  by  ad- 
miration of  the  heroism  which  impelled  liim  to  ad- 
venture himself  in  this  new  and  daring  career.  No 
mention  being  made  of  nautical  experience,  it  may 
be  suspected,  that,  amid  so  many  brilliant  qualities, 
this  most  essential  requisite  was  not  duly  taken  into 
account.  The  command  of  the  next  vessel  was  given 
to  Richard  Chancelor,  an  ^leve  of  Henry  Sidney,  fa- 
ther of  Sir  Philip,  and  who  first  gave  lustre  to  that 
great  nante.    Sidney  stood  high  in  the  favour  of  the 


>     -vi 


•i 


i  •• 


•v 


■^ 


'< 


W  NORTH-EAST   YOYAOES. 

king,  and  was  inspired  with  the  most  ardent  zeal 
for  the  promotion  of  the  voyage.  Chancelor  is  spe- 
cially commended  for  "  the  many  good  parts  of  wit 
in  him,"  tending  to  inspire  the  most  sanguine  hopes 
of  his  success. 

All  preparations  being  thus  completed,  King  Ed- 
ward drew  up  a  letter  addressed  to  all  "  kings, 
princes,  rulers,  judges,  and  governors  of  the  earth  ;** 
which,  if  composed  by  himself,  certainly  reflects  very 
considerable  credit  upon  his  spirit  and  judgment. 
He  observes  to  these  unknown  potentates,  that  "  the 
great  and  Almighty  God  hath  given  unto  mankind, 
above  all  other  living  creatures,  such  a  heart  and 
desire,  that  every  man  desireth  to  join  friendship 
with  other,  to  love  and  to  be  loved,  also  to  give  and 
receive  mutual  benefits."  He  represents,  therefore, 
the  duty  of  showing  kindness  to  strangers,  and  espe- 
cially to  "  merchants  who  wander  about  the  world, 
search  both  the  land  and  the  sea,  to  carry  such  good 
and  profitable  things  as  are  found  in  their  countries 
to  remote  regions  and  kingdoms."  With  this  view, 
it  is  stated,  that  a  valiant  knig:ht,  Sir  Hugh  Wil- 
loughby,  and  other  trusty  and  faithful  servants,  had 
departed  from  England.  "  We  therefore  desire  you, 
kings  and  princes,  and  all  other  to  whom  there  is 
any  power  on  the  earth,  to  permit  unto  these,  our  ser- 
vants, free  passage  by  your  regions  and  dominions, 
for  they  shall  not  touch  any  thing  of  yours  unwilling 
unto  you."  If  such  kindness  were  shown,  he  con- 
cludes,— ^**  We  promise,  by  the  God  of  all  things  that 
are  contained  in  heaven,  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  by 
the  life  and  tranquillity  of  our  kingdoms,  that  we 
will  with  like  humanity  accept  your  servants,  if  at 
any  time  they  shall  come  to  our  Kingdoms." 

It  was  judged  inexpedient  to  delay  the  depart- 
ure of  the  vessels  beyond  the  10th  of  May,  lest 
they  should  be  overtaken  by  winter  in  the  northern 
latitudes.  All  the  members  of  the  expedition  took 
a  solemn  and  tender  leave  of  their  relationsi  kindred. 


I 


w 
w 


an 
ru 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


07 


Img 
on- 
that 

by 
we 

at 


li 


ed. 


and  "  friends  dearer  than  kindred/'  and  were  at  their 
station  on  the  appointed  day.  The  vessels  early  in 
the  morning  dropped  down  from  RatclifTa  to  Green- 
wich, where  the  court,  and,  as  it  were,  the  nation, 
were  assembled  to  witness  and  hail  their  departure. 
The  king  himself  was  confined  by  illness,  but  the 
principal  courtiers  stood  at  the  palace  windows,  the 
rest  of  the  household  mounted  the  towers,  while  the 
people  in  crowds  lined  the  shore.  The  ships  fired 
their  guns,  causing  the  hills  and  valleys  to  resound ; 
and  **  the  mariners  shouted  in  such  sort,  that  the  sky 
rung  with  the  noise  thereof.  In  short,  it  was  a  very 
triumph."  The  thought  of  the  distant  and  unknown 
seas  into  which  they  were  so  perilously  plunging 
was  either  forgotten,  in  this  moment  of  exultation, 
or  served  only  to  heighten  its  enthusiasm. 

The  expedition,  after  stopping  a  few  days  at  Black- 
wall,  sailed  down  to  Woolwich  and  Gravesend,  and 
thence  to  the  coast  of  Essex,  where  contrary  winds 
unfortunately  detained  them  till  the  23d.  Then,  with 
a  favouring  gale,  they  quitted  England,  and  shaped 
their  course  into  the  open  expanse  of  the  German 
Sea.  The  sailors,  however,  fixed  their  eyes  on  their 
native  land  as  it  gradually  receded,  and  many,  unac- 
customed to  these  distant  voyages,  dropped  a  few 
natursd  tears  at  the  thought  that  they  saw  it  perhaps 
for  the  last  time. 

Sir  Hugh  was  desirous  of  touching  at  the  coast  of 
Scotland,  but  this  was  rendered  impossible  by  con- 
trary winds,  which  obliged  him  also  to  make  fre- 
quent changes  of  course,  '*  traversing  and  tracing 
tne  seas.''  On  the  14th  July,  he  found  himself  in" 
volved  in  that  labyrinth  of  isles  which  stud  the 
coast  of  Norway  between  the  66th  and  68th  degrees 
of  latitude.  The  ships  then  stood  eastward  and 
out  to  sea,  till  they  came  to  the  larger  range  of 
the  Lofoot  (Loffoden)  Isles.  The  people,  sub- 
ject to  Denmark,  were  gentle  and  courteous;  but 
the  English,  evidently  ignorant  of  this  coast,  sought 


•^ 


'  t 


'.     I 


t'»> 


98 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


■t 


in  vain  to  learn  how  these  islands  were  situated 
with  regard  to  the  Norwegian  shore.  They  pro- 
ceeded onward  to  the  large  island  of  Seynam,  or 
Senjan,  where  theyendeavoured  without  success  to 
procure  a  pilot.  They  were  now  approaching  the 
northern  cape  of  Europe,  and  saw  before  them  the 
abyss  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  stretching  onwards  to  the 
Pole,  and  soon  to  be  filled  with  snows  and  tempests. 
In  this  critical  conjuncture,  Sir  Hugh  assembled 
the  commanders,  and  exhorted  them  to  keep  close 
together ;  but,  in  case  of  separation,  appointed  their 
rendezvous  at  Wardhuys,  understood  to  be  the  prin 
cipal  port  of  Finmark.  The  wisdom  of  this  precau- 
tion soon  appeared.  Before  the  English  could  enter  a 
harbour,  there  arose  such  **fiawes  of  wind  and  terrible 
whirlwinds,"  that  they  were  obliged  to  stand  out  to 
the  open  sea,  and  allow  the  vessels  to  drift  at  the 
mercy  of  the  waves.  Amid  the  thick  mists  of  the 
next  stormy  night  the  vessels  of  Willoughby  and 
Chancelor  separated,  and  never  again  met.  Cle- 
ment Adams,  who  was  with  Chancelor,  says,  that 
as  they  were  driving  before  the  gale,  the  Admiral 
loudly  and  earnestly  called  upon  them  to  keep  close 
to  him ;  but  that  he  himself  carried  so  much  sail, 
and  his  vessel  was  so  superior,  that  Chancelor  could 
not  possibly  obey  this  order.  Willoughby's  pinnace 
was  dashed  to  pieces  amid  the  tempest ;  and  next 
morning,  when  light  dawnf?d,  he  could  see  neither 
of  his  companions ;  but,  discovering  at  length  the 
smaller  vessel  called  the  Confidence,  he  continued  his 
voyage.  He  now  sailed  nearly  two  hundred  miles 
north-east  and  by  north,  but  was  astonished  and  be- 
wildered at  not  discovering  any  symptom  of  land ; 
whence  it  appeared  that  "  the  land  lay  not  as  the 
globe  made  mention."  The  imperfect  maps  of  those 
days  appear  not  to  have  shown  that  rapid  southerly 
bend  which  the  coast  takes  towards  the  great  opening 
of  the  Waranger  Fiord,  on  which  Wardhuys  is  si- 
tuated.   Instead,  therefore,  of  sailingalong  or  towards 


^ 


NORTH'EAST   VOYAGES. 


99 


the  coast  of  Norway,  he  was  plun^ng  always  deeper 
and  deeper  into  the  abysses  of  the  northern  ocean. 
At  length  the  soundings,  indicating  a  depth  of  160 
fathoms,  proved  the  navigators  to  be  far  out  at  sea,  in- 
volved in  some  great  and  perilous  error.    They  tlien 
for  some  time  took  a  direction  to  the  south-east,  yet 
afterward  again  turned  to  the  north,  and  continued 
shifting  their  courses  amid  doubt  and  uncertainty. 
Thus,  as  they  groped  theur  way  through  these  vast 
and  stormy  seas,  at  length  land  appeared,  but  high, 
desolate,  and  covered  with  snow,  while  no  sound 
could  be  wafted  over  the  waves  except  the  crash  of 
its  falling  ice,  and  the  hungry  roar  of  its  monsters. 
This  coast  was  evidently  that  of  Nova-Zembla ;  but 
there  was  no  point  at  which  a  landing  could  be  made. 
After  another  attempt  to  push  to  the  northward,  the 
mariners  became  sensible  that  the  coast  of  Norway 
was  to  be  found  only  by  an  entire  change  of  direc- 
tion.   They  turned  to  the  south-west,  and  having 
followed  that  course  for  a  number  of  days  saw  the 
coast  of  Russian  Lapland.    Here  they  must  have 
been  very  near  the  opening  into  the  "White  Sea,  into 
which,  had  fortune  guided  their  sails,  they  would 
have  reached  Archangel,  have  had  a  joyful  meeting 
with  their  comrades,  and  spent  the  winter  in  com- 
fort and  security.    An  evil  destiny  led  them  west- 
ward, in  the  hope,  probably,  of  reaching  Wardhuys, 
the  only  point  in  those  immense  seas  of  which  they 
had  any  distinct  knowledge.    The  coast  was  naked, 
uninhabited,  and  destitute  of  shelter,  except  at  one 
point,  where  they  found  a  shore  bold  and  rocky,  but 
with  one  or  two  good  harbours.    Here,  though  it  was 
only  the  middle  of  September,  they  felt  already  all 
the  premature  rigours  of  a  northern  season ;  intense 
frost,  snow,  and  ice  driving  through  the  air,  as  though 
it  had  been  the  depth  of  winter.    The  officers  con 
ceived  it  therefore  most  expedient  to  search  no  longer 
lalong  these  desolate  shores,  but  to  take  up  their  quar- 
ters in  this  haven  till  the  ensuing  spring.    They  were 


!■! 


100 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


(f^ 


surprised  by  the  appearances  of  Arctic  zoology,  reiii- 
deer,  foxes,  polar  bears,  and  *'  divers  beasts  to  them 
unknown,  and  therefore  wonderful." 

The  narrative  here  closes,  and  the  darkest  gloom 
involves  the  fate  of  this  first  English  expedition. 
Neither  the  commander  nor  any  of  his  brave  com- 
panions ever  returned  to  their  native  shores.  Aftei 
long  suspense  and  anxiety,  tidings  reached  England 
that  some  Russian  sadlors,  as  they  wandered  along 
these  dreary  boundaries,  had  been  astonished  by  the 
view  of  two  large  ships,  which  they  entered,  and 
found  the  gallant  crews  all  lifeless.  There  was  only 
the  joumsl  of  the  voyage,  with  a  note  written  in  Ja- 
nuary, showing  that  at  that  date  the  crews  were  still 
alive.  What  was  the  immediate  cause  of  a  catas- 
trophe so  dismal  and  so  complete,  whether  the  ex- 
tremity of  cold,  fajnine,  or  disease,  or  whether  all 
these  ills  united  at  once  assailed  them,  can  now  only 
be  matter  of  sad  conjecture.  Thomson  thus  pathe 
tically  laments  their  fate  :— 

Miserable  they, 
Who,  here  entangled  in  the  gathering  ice, 
Take  their  last  look  of  the  descending  sun , 
While,  ftillof  death,  and  flerce  with  tenfold  flrost. 
The  long,  long  night,  incumbent,  O'er  their  heads, 
Falls  horrible.    Such  was  the  Briton's  flite. 
As  with  first  prow  (what  have  not  Britons  dared ' ) 
He  for  the  passage  sought,  attempted  since 
So  much  in  vaio. 

We  must  now  follow  the  career  of  Chancelor,  with 
whom  we  parted  amid  the  tempest  which  overtook 
the  ships  at  the  extremity  of  Norway.  This  com- 
mander pressed  on,  and,  by  keeping  close  to  the 
shore,  or  by  obtaining  better  information,  succeeded 
without  any  difficulty  in  reaching  Wardhuys.  There 
he  waited  for  his  companion  seven  days,  after  which, 
disregarding  the  alarming  reports  of  perils  which 
would  beset  his  farther  progress,  he  pushed  on  gal- 
lantly towards  his  mysterious  destination.  *'  He  held 
on  ms  course  towards  that  unknown  part  of  the 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


101 


em 


world,  and  sailed  so  far,  that  he  came  at  last  to  the 

{)lace  where  he  found  no  night  at  all,  but  a  contmusd 
ight  and  brightness  of  the  sun,  shining  clearly  upon 
the  great  and  mighty  sea/'  As  this  was  August,  it 
seems  mysterious  how  the  perpetual  light  of  the 
northern  midsummer  should  have  been  perceived  for 
the  first  time,  and  have  been  ascribed  to  the  progress 
eastward.  Probably  a  coui-se  of  gloomy  weather 
had  precsded  and  rendered  it  for  the  first  time  sensible. 
Thus,  however,  the  adventurers  were  guided  to  the 
entrance  of  an  immense  bay,  which  was  no  other 
than  the  White  Sea, — a  grand  feature  yet  unknown 
to  Western  Europe.  They  espied  a  little  fishing-boat, 
the  crew  of  which,  having  never  seen  a  vessel  of 
similar  magnitude,  were  as  much  astonished  as  the 
native  Americans  had  been  at  the  Spaniards,  and, 
taking  the  alarm,  fled  at  full  speed..  Chancelor,  with 
his  party,  pursued  and  overtook  them ;  whereupon 
they  fell  flat  on  the  ground,  half-dead,  crying  for 
mercy.  He  immediately  raised  them  most  courte- 
ously, and  by  looks,  gestures,  and  gifts,  expressed  the 
most  kind  intentions.  Being  then  allowed  to  depart, 
they  spread  every  where  the  report  of  the  arrival 
''of  a  strange  nation,  of  singular  gentleness  and 
courtesy."  The  natives  came  in  crowds,  and  the 
sailors  were  copiously  supplied  with  provisions  and 
every  thing  they  wanted. 

Chancelor  now,  inquiring  on  what  part  of  the 
world  he  had  been  thrown,  learned  that  he  was  at 
the  extremity  of  a  vast  country,  then  obscurely 
known  to  Western  Europe  under  the  title  of  Russia 
or  Muscovy,  and  which  was  under  the  absolute  rule 
of  a  sovereign  named  Ivan  Vasilovitch.  Although 
the  court  at  Moscow  was  immensely  distant,  and 
could  only  be  reached  by  sledges  over  the  snow, 
Chancelor  immediately  began  to  negotiate  for  per- 
mission to  visit  the  capital  of  this  great  potentate ; 
which  he  obtained  after  the  delay  of  sending  to 
Moscow.    His  journey  to  that  city  carrying  him  out 

1 2 


M^ 


(-,  F 


t? 


n 


102 


NORTH-EAST   V0YA0E8. 


K'    - 


of  the  sphere  of  Arctic  discovery,  it  will  suffice  to 
say,  that  he  was  received  in  the  most  satisfactory 
manner,  and  returned  with  a  letter  from  the  Czar, 
expressing^  a  cordial  desire  to  open  an  intercourse 
with  England,  and  to  grant  to  the  Company  of  Mer- 
chant-Adventurers every  privilege  necessary  to  en- 
able them  to  carry  on  traffic  in  his  kingdom.  The 
traders  now  assumed  the  title  of  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany ;  and  the  same  officer  was  again  sent  out  with 
credentials  from  Philip  and  Mary,  who,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  premature  death  of  £dward,  then  Med 
the  throne.  The  original  object  of  an  eastern  pas- 
sage was  not  lost  sight  of;  the  captain  being  in- 
structed to  make  every  possible  inqmry  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  spirit  of  discovery  at  home  was  too  ar- 
dent, however,  to  wait  his  return.  A  small  vessel, 
called  the  Searchthrift,  was  fitted  out  in  1556,  and 
placed  under  the  command  of  Stephen  Burroughs, 
who,  on  the  first  voyage,  had  acted  as  master  of 
Richard  Chancelor's  vessel.  Enthusiasm  and  hope 
seem  to  have  risen  as  high  as  at  the  departure  of  the 
first  expedition.  Sebastian  Cabot  came  down  to 
Gravesend  with  a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, and,  having  first  gone  on  board,  and  partaken 
of  such  cheer  as  the  vessel  afforded,  invited  Bur- 
roughs and  his  company  to  a  splendid  banquet  at  the 
sign  of  the  Christopher.  After  dinner,  a  dance  being 
proposed,  the  venerable  pilot  started  up  and  tripped 
it  along  with  the  most  youthful  of  the  party. 

Under  these  cheerful  auspices.  Burroughs,  on  the 
139th  of  April,  sailed  from  Gravesend.  Various  cir- 
cumstances delayed  till  the  middle  of  July  his  arrival 
at  the  islands  and  straits  of  Waygatz,  between  Nova 
Zembla  and  the  continent.  On  the  21st  the  crew 
saw  what  they  imagined  to  be  land,  but  it  proved  to 
be  **  a  monstrous  heap  of  ice,  which  was  a  fearful 
sight  to  see."  They  were  soon  entangled  in  it,  and 
for  six  hours  could  with  difficulty  avoid  one  mass 
without  striking  upon  another.    Soon  after  an  im- 


mei 

thi 

ovei 


\  I 


u<^ 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES, 


103 


mense  whale  came  so  close,  that  they  might  have 
thrust  a  sword  into  him ;  but,  alarmed  lest  he  should 
overset  the  vessel.  Burroughs  called  together  his 
men,  and  caused  them  to  shout  with  all  their  might ; 
upon  which  this  mighty  animal,  which  is  neither  fe- 
rocious nor  very  courageous,  plunged  into  the  depths 
with  a  terrible  noise. 

Among  the  islands  of  Waygatt;,  the  English  descried 
a  Russian  sail.  The  master,  named  Loshak,  stated 
himself  to  be  in  extreme  haste ;  but,  on  receiving  a 
glass,  two  pewter  spoons,  and  two  knives,  he  pre- 
sented seventeen  wild  geese,  and  gave  much  infor- 
mation. He  stated  this  to  be  the  country  of  the 
wild  Samoides,  who  owned  no  subjection  to  Russia, 
but  ^  will  shoot  at  all  men  to  the  uttermost  of  their 
power  that  cannot  speak  their  speech ;"  it  was  even 
said  that  they  ate  the  Russians.  Loshak  led  the 
captain  to  a  piace  left  by  these  people,  where  there 
were  still  three  hundred  of  their  idols,  the  rudest 
workmanship  Burroughs  ever  saw.  They  consisted 
of  figures  of  men,  women,  and  children,  **  very  grossly 
wrought ;  the  eyes,  mouths,  and  other  parts  stained 
with  blood."  We  may  here  mention  that  Johnson, 
one  of  the  party,  when  at  the  Pechora,  had  been 
present  at  a  mighty  scene  of  magic  incantation,  per- 
formed by  one  of  the  great  northern  wizards.  This 
personage  first  took  a  great  i^eve,  somewhat  resem- 
bling a  drum,  then  he  began  to  sing  **  as  we  use  in 
England  to  halloo,  whoop,  and  shout  at  hounds,"  to 
which  the  company  responded  with — ighaj  i^ha,  igha  1 
At  length  the  magician  fell  into  convulsions,  and 
dropped  down  as  if  dead,  though  he  could  still  be 
heard  breathing.  Johnson,  having  asked  the  mean- 
ing of  all  this,  was  told—**  Now  doth  our  god  tell  him 
what  we  shall  do!"  Having  thus  allowed  him  to 
remain  for  a  short  time,  the  people  began  to  ciy 
aghao^  aghao !  whereupon  he  rose  and  again  began 
to  sing.  He  next  took  a  sword  and  thrust  it  through 
his  body.,  causing  it  to  enter  at  the  breast  and  issue 


104 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


i\ 


n 


ii 


at  the  back.  Johnson  saw  it  go  into  the  shirt 
before,  and  come  out  at  the  shirt  behind,  but 
does  not  seem  to  have  scrutinized  with  any  dili- 
gence its  actual  passage  tlurough  the  person.  The 
sword,  probably  only  of  iron,  had  been  heated,  which 
would  favour  greatly  a  circuitous  track.  The  magi- 
cian then  sat  down  with  a  vessel  of  hot  water  before 
him,  and  a  line  or  rope  of  deer-skin  passed  round  his 
body,  over  all  which,  as  well  as  himself,  a  spacious 
cloth  mantle  was  spread.  The  ends  of  the  Ime,  be- 
ing left  without  the  mantle,  were  drawn  tight  by  two 
men  on  opposite  sides,  till  something  was  heard  fall- 
ing into  the  dish.  Johnson,  asking  what  this  was, 
learned  with  horror  that  it  was  the  magician's  head, 
shoulder,  and  left  arm,  severed  from  the  body  by  the 
violent  pulling  of  the  rope.  Johnson  besought  that 
he  might  be  allowed  to  lift  the  cloak  and  view  this 
awful  spectacle,  but  was  assured  that  no  one  could  do 
so  and  live.  After  the  multitude  had  sung  and  hal- 
looed for  some  time,  the  cloak  was  lifted,  when  the 
wizard  came  forth  perfectly  entire,  all  the  parts  cut 
asunder  having,  it  seems,  been  miraculously  replaced. 
The  imposture,  however  gross  and  obvious,  appears  to 
have  completely  succeeded  with  the  ignorant  natives. 
Burroughs  had  passed  fifteen  leagues  beyond  the 
mouth  of  the  Pechora,  and  the  soundings  indicated 
an  approach  to  Nova  Zembla,  when  he  came  to  the 
conclusion,  that  all  attempts  to  penetrate  farther  this 
year  would  be  abortive  Among  other  causes,  he 
mentions  the  untoward  north  and  north-easterly 
winds,  which  were  more  powerful  than  in  any  other 
place  he  ever  knew ;  the  great  and  terrible  abundance 
of  ice,  of  which  he  had  reason  always  to  expect 
greater  store ;  the  nights  waxing  dark,  and  Winter 
with  his  storms  beginning  to  draw  on.  Under  these 
considerations  he  determined  to  return  and  winter  at 
Colmogro,  stating  his  intention  to  resume  next  sum- 
mer his  attempts  to  penetrate  eastward ;  but  this,  in 
consequence  of  other  employment,  was  never  carried 
into  effect. 


vn\ 

'sei 
ors 
(ox 
otl 
of 
anc 


\  \ 


ti' ' 


II  ^1 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


105 


There  occurred  now  a  tragical  incident  connected 
with  northern  discovery.  The  Czar,  Ivan  Vasilovitch, 
'  sent  back  with  Richard  Chancelor  his  ambassador  and 
orator,  as  he  is  termed,  Osep  Nepea  Gregoro  witch,  with 
four  ships  heavily  laden  with  furs,  wax,  train-oil,  and 
other  Russian  commodities,  to  the  value  of  upwards 
of  £30,000,  which  belonged  partly  to  the  merchants 
and  partly  to  the  orator.  On  this  homeward  voyage, 
two  of  the  vessels  were  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Norway,  a  third  reached  the  Thames,  but  the  Ed- 
ward Bonaventure,  in  wliich  were  the  chiefs  of  the 
expedition,  was  driven  by  the  tempest  into  the  bay 
of  Pittisligo  (Pitsligo),  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  where 
it  went  entirely  to  pieces.  Chancelor  endeavoured, 
in  a  very  dark  night,  to  convey  himself  and  the  am- 
bassador ashore  in  a  boat.  The  skiff  was  over- 
whelmed by  the  tempest,  and  the  captain  drowned, 
though  the  ambassador,  by  great  good  fortune,  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  lancL  He  thence  proceeded 
to  London,  where  Philip  and  Mary  gave  him  a  splen- 
did and  pompous  reception* 

A  disastrous  character  upon  the  whole  was  thus 
given  to  these  voyages  along  the  northern  boundary 
of  Europe  and  Asia.  This  would  not  probably  have 
damped  the  high  spirit  of  enterprise  by  which  the 
British  were  then  animated;  but  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany had  their  attention  diverted  by  the  project  of 
opening  a  communication  with  Persia  and  India, 
across  the  Caspian,  aud  by  ascending  the  Oxus  to 
Bochara.  This  scheme  they  prosecuted  at  great  cost, 
and  by  a  seiies  of  bold  adventures,  in  which  Jenkin- 
son,  Johnson,  Alcocke,  and  other  of  their  agents, 
penetrated  deep  into  the  interior  regions  of  Asia. 
An  unusual  degree  of  courage  was  indeed  necessary 
to  undertake  this  expedition,  which  was  to  be  begun 
by  passing  round  the  North  Cape  to  the  White  Sea, 
then  by  a  land-journey  and  voyage  down  the  Volga, 
across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Russian  empire  to 
Astrakhan,  before  they  could  even  embark  on  the 


t 


i 


■«^ 


i 


'  m 


'l 


106 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


H 


4 


i 
if  < 


V  i 


I 


Caspian.  The  truth  is,  such  a  scheme  was  marked 
by  the  ignorance  not  less  than  by  the  boldness  of 
early  mercantile  enterprise.  It  was  soon  ascertained, 
that  no  goods  could  bear  the  cost  of  such  an  immense 
and  dangerous  conveyance  by  sea  and  land;  that 
the  goods  of  India  could  be  brought,  and  those  of 
Europe  returned,  much  cheaper  and  more  commo- 
diously,  by  the  way  of  Aleppo  and  the  Mediterranean, 
than  by  this  vast  circuit  round  the  stormy  north. 
If  the  former  conveyance,  therefore,  could  not  stand 
a  competition  with  the  water  carriage  by  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  how  could  the  latter  ?  It  was  aban- 
doned, and  no  attempt  for  a  long  time  was  made  to 
levive  it. 

This  channel  of  intercourse  with  India  having 
failed,  the  attention  of  commercial  and  nautical  ad- 
venturers was  again  attracted  to  the  possibility  of 
effecting  a  passage  by  the  north  and  east  of  Asia. 
Intelligence  had  just  been  received  respecting  the 
river  Obi,  which  was  reported  to  enter  the  ocean  by 
seventy  mouths,  and  which  therefore  seemed  likely 
to  communicate  with  the  most  important  countries 
in  the  interior  of  Asia.  John  Balak,  who  had  taken 
up  his  residence  at  Duisburg,  on  the  river  Osella, 
wrote  to  Gerard  Mercator,  the  famous  cosmographer, 
a  particular  account  of  this  river,  and  of  the  efforts 
made  by  Assenius,  a  native  of  the  Netherlands,' to 
penetrate  eastward  along  the  Asiatic  coast.  He 
mentions  in  particular  another  river  called  a  tributary 
of  the  Obi,  but  which,  from  the  details,  appears 
rather  to  have  been  the  Yenisei,  down  which  came 
"great  vessels  laden  with  rich  and  precious  mer- 
chandise, brought  by  black  or  swart  people."  In 
ascending  this  river,  men  came  to  the  great  lake  of 
Kittay,  (Baikall)  on  whose  banks  were  the  Kara 
Kalmucs,  who,  he  asserts,  were  the  very  people  of 
Cathay.  It  was  added,  that  on  the  shores  of  this 
iake  had  been  heard  sweet  harmony  of  bells,  and 
Ihat  stately  and  largo  buildings  had  been  seen  therein. 


Hen 

very 

byn 

real] 

the 

thai 

ing 

Asij 

wou 

balu 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


107 


Hence  Mercator,  in  a  letter  to  Hakluyt,  infers  that  a 
very  small  progress  beyond  the  limit  already  reached 
by  navigators  would  carry  them  to  the  great  eastern 
realms  of  Japan  and  China.  He  maintained  that 
the  cape  bounding  the  Gulf  of  Obi  was  no  other 
than  the  great  promontory  of  Tabis,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Pliny,  formed  the  north-eastern  boundary  of 
Asia;  which  being  turned,  the  fortunate  navigator 
would  bear  down  direct  upon  Serica,  Cathay,  Cam- 
balu, — those  regions  with  wliich  ancient  and  modern 
rumour  had  identified  the  position  of  the  Chinese 
empire.  This  was  underrating  the  breadth  of  Asia 
by  a  hundred  degrees  of  longitude,  or  more  than  a 
fourth  of  the  circumference  of  the  globe  at  this  paral- 
lel ;  yet  so  imperfect  were  the  sources  of  knowledge 
in  those  days,  that  the  error,  however  immense,  can- 
not be  considered  as  fatal  to  the  reputation  of  this 
great  geographer. 

To  realize  these  views,  Arthur  Pet  and  Charles 
Jackman  were  supplied  in  1580  with  two  vessels,  the 
George  and  the  William.  On  the  23d  June  they 
arrived  at  Wa.  Ihuys ;  from  which  they  sailed  on  the 
1st  July.  Approaching  Nova  Zembla  they  found 
themselves  enclosed  in  a  bay  of  ice,  whence  they 
were  obliged  to  come  out  as  they  entered,  and  had 
much  trouble  before  they  were  able  to  round  the 
large  field  to  which  it  belonged.  On  the  19th  of 
July  they  saw  Waygatz,  and  endeavoured  to  make 
their  way  along  its  southern  coast ;  but  found  it  so 
shallow  that  they  were  compelled  to  turn  and  make 
a  circuit  by  the  north.  Passing  onwards  they  came 
to  a  fair  low  island,  and  found  a  passage  between  the 
ice  and  the  shore,  which,  however,  at  length  closed, 
and  tliey  could  advance  no  farther.  At  the  same 
time  the  ships  were  separated  by  large  fields  of  ice,  ^ 
and  could  communicate  only  by  beating  drums  and ' 
firing  muskets,  till  they  were  able  to  warp  round  and 
rejoin  each  other.  They  enjoyed  now  the  most 
favourable  breeze ;  but  all  was  rendered  vain  by  the 


'■     !* 


M 


I^ 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGE*. 


fl 


V* 


i! ; 


state  of  the  ice.  "Winds  we  have  had  at  will,  Biri 
ice  and  fogs  too  much  against  our  wills  if  it  had 
pleased  the  Lord  God  otherwise."  The  captains 
determined  to  return  to  Waygatz,  where  they  might 
confer  together,  and  endeavour  to  find  a  more  open 
passage.  Tliey  were  now  obliged  to  warp  from  one 
piece  of  ice  to  another,  some  of  them  so  large  that 
they  could  not  see  beyond  them  from  the  topmast. 
They  were  repeatedly  enclosed  by  these  masses^  en- 
veloped with  dark  fogs,  and  obliged  to  make  fasi 
their  vessel  to  icebergs,  where,  **  abiding  the  Lord's 
leisure,  they  continued  with  patience."  On  the  13th 
August  the  vessels  were  involved  among  pieces  of 
loose  ice,  one  of  which  broke  the  stock  ©f  their 
anchor,  "  and  many  other  great  blows  we  had  against 
the  same,  that  it  was  marvellous  the  ship  was  able  to 
abide  them."  The  boat,  being  between  the  floe  and 
the  brig,  was  struck,  its  side  driven  in,  and  the  vessel 
itself  was  made  to  recoil  backward.  Pet  and  Jack- 
man  did  not  reach  Waygatz  till  the  16th  August,  by 
which  time,  it  being  found  impracticable  to  attempt 
penetrating  again  to  the  eastward,  they  sought  only 
to  repass  the  North  Cape.  They  appear  to  have 
been  zealous,  well-intentioned  men;  but,  not  dr.ly 
acquainted  with  the  history  of  ice,  they  adhered  too 
closely  to  the  land,  whence  large  masses  are  conti« 
nually  detached  or  carried  down  by  the  rivers,  while 
iJie  open  sea  might  have  afforded  better  hopes  oi  » 
prosperous  navigation. 

The  United  Provinces,  when  roused  to  resistance 
By  the  ferocious  bigotry  of  Philip,  and  by  the  cruel-* 
ties  of  the  remorseless  Alva,  after  a  long,  hard,  and 
g^lorious  struggle,  succeeded  in  establishing  their 
Httle  territory  as  an  independent  republic.    Thence 
forth  they  began  to  look  to  the  sen  as  the  source  of 
their  greatness  and  prosperity.    This  element  sur- 
rounded and  penetrated  their  country  on  all  sides,— 
it  towered,  as  it  were,  above  them ;  and  they  hac 
•mployed  its  inundations  to  defend  tlieir  small  doniak)' 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAOES* 


109 


against  immensely  superior  forces.  Commerce — a 
commerce  embracing  the  globe — ^was  necessary  to 
compensate  for  the  narrow  limits  within  which  they 
were  hemmed^  and  to  raise  them  to  the  first  rank 
among  the  states  of  Europe.  The  East  was  the 
most  promising  quarter;  but  its  approaches  were 
strictly  guarded,  and  they  had  not  yet  a  fleet  which 
could  cope  with  the  mighty  armadas  of  Spain  in  the 
Atlantic  and  Indian  seas.  The  North  alone  was  open 
to  their  enterprise ;  and  by  passing  its  frozen  bound- 
aries, they  hoped  to  arrive  at  the  rich  and  celebrated 
empires  whence  so  ample  a  tide  of  wealth  had  flowed 
into  Europe. 

The  first  expedition  was  undertaken  by  a  private 
society  of  merchants,  upon  asking  permission  only 
of  the  States,  and  of  their  high  admiral.  Prince 
Maurice*  Three  vessels,  with  a  small  yacht,  were 
equipped  at  Amsterdam,  Enchuysen,  and  Zealand4 
The  pilot  of  the  Amsterdam  ship,  to  whose  guidance 
the  expedition  was  generally  intrusted,  was  William 
Barentz,  who  approved  himself  as  one  of  the  most 
expert  nautical  men  of  the  age. 

The  squadron  sailed  from  the  Texel  on  the  5th 
.Tune  1594,  and  on  the  23d  arrived  at  the  island  of 
Kilduin  in  Muscovy.  Approaching  Nova  Zembla  it 
was  formed  into  two  divisions,  one  of  which  at- 
tempted to  pass  by  the  old  route  of  the  Strait  of 
Waygatz  ;  but  Baientz  himself,  taking  a  bolder 
course,  endeavoured  to  pass  round  to  the  northward 
of  Nova  Zembla,  that  great  insular  mass  which  op- 

f)Osed,  like  a  barrier,  his  eastward  progress.  Here 
le  coasted  the  Bay  of  Loms,  so  called  from  the 
numerous  flocks  of  the  bird  of  that  name,  probably 
the  penguin,  with  wings  so  small  compared  to  its 
ample  lx)dy,  that  it  seemed  astonishing  how  they 
could  support  the  creature's  motion  in  the  air.  Pass- 
ing the  Black  Cape  and  William's  Isle,  the  Dutch 
saw  various  features  characteristic  of  the  Arctic 
world ;  among  others  the  walrus,  in  large  herds,  that 


I  . 


'  ,• 


-I 


no 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


^J   !  -■ 


'       t 


1! 


huge  amphibious  animal  called  variously  sea-horse 
or  sea-cow,  of  which  they  give  a  very  good  descrip-> 
tion.  Subsequently,  at  the  Orange  Isles,  they  came 
upon  two  or  three  hundred  lying  in  heaps  upon  the 
sand,  and  basking  in  the  sun.  Having  formed  the 
erroneous  idea  that  these  animals  are  helpless  on 
shore,  the  sailors  marched  against  them  as  to  an 
assured  victory,  congratulating  themselves  on  the 
multitude 'Of  valuable  teeth  which  would  become  an 
easy  prize.  So  completely  were  they  mistaken,  that 
these  gallant  amphibia  not  only  encountered,  but 
beat  them  off  with  loss  and  dishonour,  breaking  in 
pieces  the  pikes,  hatchets,  and  sabres  employed  in 
this  fruitless  assault.  The  crews  sustained  also  the 
fierce  encounter  of  the  Polar  bear.  Having  seen 
one  on  the  shore,  they  entered  their  shallop,  and  dis- 
charged several  balls  at  him,  but  without  inflicting 
any  deadly  wound.  They  were  then  happy  when 
they  succeeded  in  throwing  a  noose  about  his  neck, 
hoping  to  lead  him  like  a  lapdog,  and  carry  him  as  a 
trophy  into  Holland.  l%ey  were  not  a  little  alarmed 
by  his  mighty  and  tremendous  struggles ;  but  what 
was  their  eonsteniation,  when  he  fastened  his  paws 
on  the  stern  and  entered  the  boat !  The  whole  crew 
hastily  clung  to  the  poop,  expecting  instant  deaths 
either  from  the  sea  or  from  his  jaws.  Providentially 
at  this  moment  the  noose  got  entangled  with  the' 
iron  work  of  the  rudder,  and  the  creature  struggled 
in  vain  to  extricate  himself.  Seeing  him  thus  fixed, 
they  at  length  summoned  courage  to  advance  and 
despatch  him  with  their  spears. 

Barentz,  by  the  1st  August,  reached  the  northern 
extremity  of  Nova  Zembla,  in  lat.  77<* ;  but  the  wind 
blew  so  strong,  separating  the  ice  into  large  flakes, 
that  he  and  his  crew,  rather  early  it  should  seem, 
gave  up  hope  and  resolved  to  return. 

The  two  other  vessels  meantime  pushed  on  along 
the  coast,  and  in  due  time  arrived  at  Waygatz.  This 
island  had  a  very  agreeable  aspect,  being  covered 


NORTR-EAST  VOTAOES. 


Ill 


an 


with  verdure  and  abundance  of  flowers,  herbs,  plants, 
and  particularly  a  great  store  of  leeks.  Large  trees 
were  lying  piled  in  heaps  over  each  other,  which  ap- 
peared very  surprising,  when  neither  on  this  nor  the 
opposite  coast  was  there  a  single  one  found  growing; 
but  it  was  rightly  judged  that  they  were  brought 
down  the  rivers  of  Tartary,  and  drifted  hither  by 
winds  and  currents.  On  turning  a  point  the  Dutch 
observed  one  of  those  great  collections  of  rudely 
carved  images  which  had  been  formerly  remarked  by 
Burroughs.  These  consisted  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  sometimes  having  from  four  to  eight  heads, 
all  with  their  faces  turned  eastward,  and  many  horns 
of  reindeer  lying  at  their  feet :  it  was  called,  there- 
fore, the  Cape  of  Idols.  Forster  alleges  that  ihe 
Samoiedes  have  been  falsely  charged  with  this  idola- 
try, and  that  it  were  more  charitable  to  conclude 
these  to  have  been  images  of  departed  friends  whom 
they  cherished  with  pious  veneration;  but  it  does 
not  very  exactly  appear  how  the  Samoiedes  should 
have  had  friends  with  six  or  eight  faces. 

The  expedition  had  some  difficulty  in  working 
their  way  through  the  Strait  of  Waygatz, — after 
passing  which,  and  sailing  for  some  space  along  the 
coast  of  Nova  Zembla,  they  were  repelled  by  the  icy 
barriers ;  but  having  by  perseverance  rounded  these, 
they  arrived  at  a  wide,  blue,  open  sea,  with  the  coast 
bending  rapidly  southward;  and  though  this  was 
only  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Obi,  they  doubted  not 
that  it  was  the  eastern  boundary  of  Asia,  and  would 
afford  an  easy  passage  down  upon  China.  Instead, 
however,  of  prosecuting  this  voyage,  they  determined 
to  hasten  back  and  communicate  to  their  countrymen 
this  joyful  intelligence.  The  two  divisions  met  on 
the  coast  of  Russian  Lapland,  and  arrived  in  the 
Texel  on  the  16th  September. 

The  intelligence  conveyed  in  regard  to  the  latter 

Eart  of  this  expedition  kindled  the  most  sanguine 
opea  in  the  government  and  people  of  Hollan'^ 


\i 


I 


m 


h 

1  1.    ! 

1 

11  ■ 

113 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


1  M 


Prince  Maurice  and  the  States-General  no  longer 
confined  themselves  to  empty  praise  and  sanction, 
but  supphed  funds  to  aid  in  a  fresh  voyage.  Six 
i^essels  were  fitted  out,  not  as  for  adventure  and  dis- 
covery, but  as  for  assured  success,  and  for  canying 
on  an  extensive  traffic  in  the  golden  regions  of  the 
East.  They  were  laden  with  merchandise,  and  well 
supplied  with  money ;  while  a  seventh,  a  light  yacht, 
was  instructed  to  follow  them  till  they  had  passed 
Tabis,  the  supposed  bounding  promontory  of  Asia ; 
when,  having  finally  extricated  themselves  from  the 
Polar  ices,  and  directed  their  course  to  China,  it  was 
to  return  to  Holland  with  the  joyful  tidings.  Petei 
Plancius,  the  most  celebrated  cosmographer  of  that 
age,  drew  up  a  map  for  their  guidance,— doubtless 
in  our  eyes  a  very  crude  performance,  but  which 
combined  all  the  geographical  lights  of  that  ignorant 
period. 

The  armaments,  which  at  that  early  epoch  were 
set  forth  with  the  greatest  pomp  and  the  most  ample 
equipment,  usually  issued  m  the  most  lame  and 
abortive  results.  These  large  and  heavily-laden  ves- 
sels were  peculiarly  ill  fitted  for  winding  their  way 
through  narrow  seas  and  channels  encumbered  with 
ice.  Of  all  the  northern  expeditions,  accordingly, 
none  answered  less  than  the  present  the  great  cost 
and  magnificent  expectations  with  which  it  had  been 
equipped. 

The  squadron  sailed  from  the  Texel  on  the  2d  of 
June  (1595),  a  period  of  the  season  decidedly  too 
late.  Nothing  great  occurred  till  the  4th  August, 
when  they  reached  the  strait  between  Waygatz  and 
the  continent,  to  which  they  had  given  the  appellation 
of  the  Strait  of  Nassau.  They  came  to  the  Cape 
of  Idols ;  but  though  these  were  still  drawn  up  in  full 
array,  no  trace  was  found  of  the  habitations  which 
they  might  have  seemed  to  indicate.  A  Russian  ves- 
sel, however,  constructed  of  pieces  of  bark  sewer? 
together,  was  met  on  its  way  from  the  Pechora  to 


oil 

ve 

on 

wi 

an 

rai 

but 

hei 

inc 

r 

wi 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


113 


the  Obi  in  search  of  the  teeth  of  the  sea-horse,  whale- 
oil,  and  geese.  The  sailors  accosted  the  Dutch  in  a 
very  friendly  manner,  presented  eight  fat  birds,  and 
on  going  on  board  one  of  the  vessels,  were  struck 
with  astonishment  at  its  magnitude,  its  equipments, 
and  the  high  order  with  which  every  thing  was  ar- 
ranged. This  being  a  fast-day,  they  refused  meat, 
butter,  and  cheese;  but,  on  being  offered  a  raw 
herring,  eagerly  swallowed  it  entire,  head  and  tail 
inclusive. 

The  navigators,  after  considerable  search,  fell  in 
witli  a  party  of  Samoiedes,  who  are  described  as  a 
people  of  small  stature,  broad  and  flat  face,  little  eyes, 
short  legs,  and  wrapped  entirely  in  reindeer  skins, 
except  a  few  who  wore  coloured  cloth  lined  with  fur. 
They  manifested  considerable  jealousy  of  strangers, 
and  on  the  approach  of  the  interpreter,  had  drawn 
their  arrows  to  shoot  him;  but  he  called  aloud, 
"  We  are  friends ;"  upon  which  they  laid  down  their 
weapons,  and  saluted  him  in  the  Russian  style,  by 
bending  their  heads  to  the  ground.  The  intercourse 
which  followed  was  conducted  on  their  part  with 
considerable  courtesy  and  good  sense,  mingled  with 
a  feeling  of  precaution  and  even  alarm.  On  hearing  a 
gun  fired,  they  ran  away  and  leaped  like  madmen, 
till  assured  that  no  harm  was  intended;  and  they 
were  then  amused  by  seeing  a  little  stone  placed  on 
an  eminence  struck  and  shattered  to  pieces  by  a  mus- 
ket ball.  A  sailor  boldly  went  up  to  the  chief,  dig- 
nified in  the  narrative  with  the  title  of  king,  and  pre- 
sented him  with  some  biscuit,  which  the  monarch 
graciously  accepted  and  ate,  though  looking  round 
somewhat  suspiciously.  At  length  the  parties  took  a 
friendly  leave ;  but  a  native  ran  after  the  foreigners 
with  signs  of  great  anger,  on  account  of  one  of  their 
rude  statues  which  a  sailor  had  carried  off.  These 
figures  were  now  judged  to  be  divinities,  and  the 
bones  fodnd  lying  before  them  the  remains  of  sacri- 
fices offered  to  them  in  that  capacity.    The  Dutch 

K  2 


) 

r 

i 


|.|.! 
»* 


1.1 


i 


1^ 


!  5 


■  ]i  1. 


f 


\^\ 


114 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


I      \ 


V' 


1! 


seem  to  have  formed  a  still  lower  estimate  than  Bui- 
roughs  of  Samoiede  sculpture.  These  images  are  de- 
scribed as  little  better  than  logs,  somewhat  rounded 
at  the  top  to  represent  ahead,  with  a  slight  projection 
for  the  nose,  two  little  holes  for  eyes,  and  one  larger 
aperture  to  represent  the  mouth. 

The  discoverers  had  been  informed,  in  answer  to 
diligent  inquiries,  that  beyond  a  point  which  might 
be  reached  in  about  five  days*  sail,  there  extended  a 
large  open  sea  to  the  south-east.  They  made  re- 
pnated  attempts  to  reach  this  point ;  but,  after  emerg- 
ing from  the  Strait  of  Waygatz,  were  always  driven 
back  by  large  bodies  of  floating  ice.  They  perse- 
vered till  the  end  of  September,  when  these  masses 
entered  the  Waygatz  in  such  force  that  they  were 
obliged  with  all  speed  to  quit  it  by  the  western  open- 
ing, and  bend  their  sails  towards  Holland,  without 
having  accomplished  any  one  of  the  brilliant  objects 
for  which  this  expedition  had  been  undertaken. 

A  very  considerable  disappointment  was  felt  in 
that  country  at  the  failure  of  an  expedition,  from 
which  such  sanguine  hopes  had  been  cherished. 
The  States-General  declined  supplying  funds  for  a 
fresh  armament ;  but  they  proclaimed  a  reward  to  any 
individual  or  body  of  men  by  whom  the  object  might 
be  successfully  accomplished.  The  town-council  of 
Amsterdam,  with  great  spirit,  determined  to  fit  out 
another  squadron,  on  a  smaller  scale,  and  equipped 
only  for  discovery.  They  prepared  two  vessels, 
which  were  respectively  intrusted,  one  to  Barentz, 
and  the  other  to  John  Corneliz  Ryp,  with  seemingly 
an  equal  division  of  power.  Suspecting  apparently 
a  prevalence  of  home-sickness,  they  admitted  on 
board  none  but  unmarried  persons,  who,  it  was 
hoped,  would  be  animated  with  a  bolder  spirit  of  en- 
terprise, and  less  inclined  to  long  for  return. 

The  vessels  set  sail,  still  rather  too  late,  on  the 
loth  of  May,  1696.  Their  object  seems  to  have  been 
to  avoid  the  coast  of  Russia  and  the  Straits,  to  shun 


I  ■.: 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


115 


even  Nova  Zembla,  and  to  push  on  direct  through  the 
wide  expanse  of  the  Northern  Ocean.  They  even 
stood  inadvertently  somewhat  to  the  west,  and  on 
the  22d  came  in  view  of  the  Shetland  Islands. 
Barentz  urged  that  they  should  turn  due  east,  in 
order  to  compensate  this  deviation ;  but  Corneliz  in- 
sisted that  this  would  carry  them  at  once  into  the 
Strait  of  Waygatz,  the  scene  of  so  many  abortive  ef- 
forts, and  insisted  upon  steering  towards  the  north- 
north-east.  After  passing  the  Shetlands,  they  saw 
the  most  brilliant  celestial  phenomena  they  had  ever 
witnessed.  The  sun  was  attended  by  two  parhelia 
or  mock  suns,  while  a  bright  rainbow  traversed  all 
the  three  suns,  and  two  other  bows  crossed  the  hea- 
vens in  different  quarters.  On  the  5th  June  some 
sailors  called  out,  that  a  multitude  of  white  swans 
were  swimming  in  the  water ;  but  the  more  expe- 
rienced gave  warning  that  these  swans  would  be  found 
to  be  made  of  ice,  and  accordingly  they  were  soon 
sailing  in  the  midst  of  these  moving  masses.  For 
two  days  they  proceeded  between  them  as  between 
two  lands  ;  while  the  colour  of  the  sea,  which  was 
green  as  grass,  gave  them  the  idea  of  being  near  the 
country  called  Greenland ;  but  Scoresby  has  shown, 
as  is  elsewhere  observed,  that  this  colour  is  produced 
by  the  contents  of  the  sea  itself.  On  the  9th  the  ad- 
venturers discovered  a  long  island  rising  abruptly 
into  -teep  and  lofty  cliffs,  the  highest  of  which  has 
borne  the  appropriate  name  of  Mount  Misery.  Pen- 
nant, who  erroneously  supposes  Bennet,  in  1603,  to 
have  been  the  first  discoverer,  observes, — ^*  The  hor- 
ror of  this  isle  to  the  first  discoverers  must  have  been 
unspeakable :  the  prospect  dreary ;  black  where  not 
hid  with  snow,  and  broken  into  a  thousand  precipices. 
No  sounds  but  of  the  dashing  of  the  waves,  the 
crashing  collision  of  floating  ice,  the  discordant  notes 
of  myriads  of  sea-fowl,  the  yelping  of  Arctic  foxes, 
the  snorting  of  the  walruses,  or  the  roaring  of  the 
Polar  bears."    The  hills  were  so  excessively  steep, 


} 


1'! 


'■••    i-t 


ft,:  I 

\4 


116 


NORTH-EAST  VOTAOES. 


• 


that  though  a  party  contrived  to  clamber  up,  they 
durst  not  look  down,  and  the  descent  proved  most 
doubtful  and  perilous.  At  length,  applying  their 
backs  to  the  face  of  the  steep,  they  slid  aown  with 
safety,  which  Barentz,  who  looked  up,  could  never 
have  thought  possible.  From  a  bear,  which  the 
Dutch  attacked,  and  vainly  attempted  to  secure  by  a 
noose,  they  gave  to  it  the  name  of  Bear  island,  which 
the  English  afterward  attempted  to  supplant  hyr  that 
of  Alderman  Cherie.  Proceeding  onward,  still  by 
too  northerly  a  course,  they  reached  the  latitude  of 
80°,  and  discovered  a  coast  which  soon  proved  to  be- 
long to  a  country  of  great  extent.  This  was  Spitz- 
bergen,  or  East  Greenland,  which,  from  the  latitude, 
they  probably  approached  near  its  northern  point  of 
Hakluyf  s  Headland.  The  name  of  Greenland,  which 
has  in  some  degree  adhered  to  this  island,  was  given 
under  the  erroneous  impression  of  its  belonging  to 
that  great  extent  of  coast,  so  called  by  the  Icelanders, 
in  distinction  from  which  it  has  been  called  East 
Greenland. 

The  Dutch,  finding  their  progress  eastward  stopped 
by  this  line  of  coast,  now  retraced  their  ro\.ite  along 
its  deep  bays,  still  steering  southward  till  they  found 
themselves  again  at  Bear  Island.  Here  Corneliz  and 
Barentz  differed  once  more ;  the  former  still  adhering 
to  his  original  views,  and  recommending  that  they 
should  again  push  northward,  and  endeavour  to 
find  their  way  along  the  eastern  coast  of  the  newly- 
discovered  land ;  but  Barentz  insisted  more  ration- 
ally, that  they  ought  to  steer  east-south-east,  and  en- 
deavour to  round  the  northern  point  of  Nova  Zembla. 
Being  unable  to  agree,  and  Barentz  being  resolved 
for  this  time  not  to  yield,  they  determined  to  separate, 
and  to  make  trial  each  of  his  respective  course.  Ba- 
rentz, whom  we  follow,  proceeded  according  to  his 
plan,  till  at  midday,  on  the  17th  July,  he  found  him- 
self off  the  coast  of  Nova  Zembla ;  he  had  gone  too 
far  south,  and  was  obliged  to  turn  again  northward. 


He  I 

till 

hei 

anc 

to 

waia 

ing| 
call 


NORTH-EAST   VO\AOES. 


117 


they 
most 
their 
with 


He  pushed  on  as  vigorously  as  possible,  but  it  was  not 
till  the  6th  August  that  he  doubled  Cape  Nassau ;  but 
here  finding  the  ice  drifting  along  in  large  masses, 
and  being  involved  in  deep  fogs,  he  judged  it  expedient 
to  moor  his  vessel  to  a  large  iceberg.  As  the  master 
was  walking  on  deck,  he  saw  a  large  bear  endeavour- 
ing to  scale  the  sides  of  the  ship.  He  immediately 
called  out,  "  All  hands  up !"  and  the  crew,  having 
mustered,  raised  loud  cries,  which  induced  the  mon- 
ster to  retreat ;  but  he  soon  returned  to  the  charge. 
They  had  now  a  sail  raised  along  the  deck,  and  four 
guns  loaded,  which  were  fired  with  such  effect,  that  the 
bear  fied,  and  sought  shelter  amid  huge  masses  of  ice. 
On  the  10th  of  August  the  ice  began  to  separate, 
and  the  seamen  remarked  that  the  berg  to  which  they 
were  moored  was  fixed  to  the  bottom,  and  that  all 
the  others  struck  against  it.  Afraid  that  these  loose 
pieces  would  collect  and  enclose  them,  they  quitted 
their  moorings  and  sailed  on.  The  ice  was  already 
forming  on  the  surface,  and  the  ship  in  sailing  through 
made  it  crack  on  all  sides.  The  Dutch  worked  on 
their  way,  mooring  themselves  to  successive  frag- 
ments, one  of  which  rose  like  a  steeple,  being  twenty 
fathoms  above  and  twelve  beneath  the  water.  They 
saw  around  them  more  than  four  hundred  large  ice- 
bergs,  the  fear  of  which  made  them  keep  close  to  the 
shore,  not  aware  of  that  being  the  quarter  where 
these  dangerous  bodies  were  formed,  and  along 
which  they  cluefly  ranged.  However,  they  steered 
on,  and  having  passed  what  they  called  Little  ley 
Cape,  came  to  Orange  Island,  which  forms  the 
northern  extremity  of  Nova  Zembla.  Here  ten  men 
swam  on  shore,  and,  having  mounted  several  piles 
of  ice  which  rose,  as  it  were,  into  a  little  mountain, 
they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  coast  tending 
southward,  and  a  wide  open  sea  to  the  south-east. 
They  hastened  back  to  Barentz  with  these  joyful 
tidings,  and  the  success  of  the  voyage  was  considered 
almost  secure. 


'  i    I 


IV 


118 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


Uii 


III 


But  these  hopes  were  delusive.  After  doubling 
what  was  called  Cape  Desire  (now  Zelania),  the  ice- 
bergs mustered  in  such  force,  that  the  crews  gave 
up  all  idea  of  doing  more  than  reach  the  strait  of 
Waygatz  on  their  return  home.  They  were  driven, 
however,  so  rapidly  before  the  floating  masses,  that 
three  men  who  had  mounted  one  of  them  to  recon- 
noitre, would  have  been  left  behind,  but  for  extraor- 
dinary exertions  of  agility.  They  were  now  drawn 
direct  into  what  they  called  Icy  Port,  and  the  vessel 
was  thrown  into  a  position  almost  perpendicular, 
with  one  end  nearly  touching  the  bottom.  From 
this  critical  attitude  they  were  relieved  next  day ; 
but  fresh  masses  of  ice  continually  poured  in,  aug- 
menting the  terrible  ramparts  vith  which  they  were 
enclosed.  One  side  of  the  vessel  was  raised  by  suc- 
cessive pieces  jammed  beneath  it,  but  the  other  was 
similarly  elevated ;  so  that  the  ship  was  lifted  to  the 
top  of  the  ice  as  by  machinery.  All  this  time  the 
cracking,  both  around  them,  on  every  side,  and 
within  the  ship  itself,  was  so  dreadful,  that  they  were 
in  continual  fear  of  its  parting  into  fragments ;  but 
this  interior  cracking,  arising  merely  from  the  freez- 
ing of  the  juices  of  the  timber,  was  much  less  dan- 
gerous than  they  imagined. 

The  Dutch  now  felt  that  they  must  bid  adieu  for 
this  year  to  all  hopes  of  escape  from  their  icy  prison. 
As  the  vessel  was  cracking  continually,  and  opening 
in  different  quarters,  they  made  no  doubt  of  its  going 
to  pieces,  and  could  hope  to  survive  the  winter  only 
by  constructing  a  hut,  which  might  shelter  them 
from  the  approaching  rigour  of  the  season.  Parties 
sent  into  the  country  reported  having  seen  foot- 
steps of  reindeer,  also  a  river  of  fresh  water,  and, 
what  was  more  important  still,  a  great  quantity  of 
fine  trees,  with  the  roots  still  attached  to  them, 
strewed  upon  the  shore.  Not  one  of  these  trees 
could  have  grown  on  the  frozen  soil  of  Nova  Zembla ; 
thev  were  all  brought  down  the  rivers  of  Muscovy 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAOES. 


119 


and  Tattary,  and  wafted  over  the  ocean  by  winds 
and  currents.  This  circumstance  gave  a  peculiarly 
cheerful  colour  to  the  hopes  of  the  mariners.  They 
trusted  that  Providence,  which  had  in  this  surprising 
manner  furnished  materials  to  build  a  house,  and 
fuel  to  warm  it,  would  supply  also  whatever  was 
necessary  for  their  passing  through  the  approaching 
winter,  and  for  returning  at  length  to  their  native 
country.  A  sledge  was  instantly  constructed ;  three 
men  cut  the  wood,  while  ten  drew  it  to  the  spot 
marked  out  for  the  hut.  They  sought  to  raise  a 
rampart  of  earth  for  shelter  and  security,  and  em- 
ployed along  line  of  fire  in  the  hope  of  softening  the 
ground,  but  in  vain. — The  carpenter  having  died,  it 
was  found  impossible  to  dig  a  grave  for  him,  and 
they  lodged  his  body  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock. 

The  building  of  the  hut  was  carried  on  with  ar- 
dour, as  affording  the  only  hope  of  life ;  yet  the  cold 
endured  in  this  operation  was  intense,  and  almost 
insupportable.  When  a  nail  was  put  into  the  mouth, 
it  was  frozen  to  the  lip,  and  brought  the  skin  away, 
drawing  blood.  The  snow  sometimes  fell  so  thick, 
for  days  successively,  that  the  seamen  could  not  stir 
from  under  cover.  They  had  at  the  same  time  hard 
and  perpetual  combats  with  the  Polar  bear.  One 
day  the  master  saw  from  the  ship  three  of  these  furi- 
ous animals  running  towards  the  working  party,  and 
gave  them  warning  by  loud  cries.  They  immedi- 
ately ran  towards  the  vessel ;  when  one  of  them,  in 
his  haste,  fell  into  a  cleft  in  the  ice,  and  was  given 
up  for  lost ;  but  the  bears  overlooked  him,  and  con- 
tinued their  pursuit  of  the  main  body.  Tlie  sailors 
having  at  length  reached  the  ship,  made  the  circuit 
of  it,  and  mounted  from  behind ;  but  their  pursuers 
entered  in  front,  and  advanced  furiously  to  the  attack. 
A  man,  sent  down  to  the  kitchen  to  light  a  match, 
was  in  too  great  haste  and  agitation  to  accomplish 
that  simple  process,  and  the  musKefs  were  thus  use- 
less.   The  crew  could  now  parry  the  assault  only  by 


f  ' 


:  ^t  \ 


H^ 


is 


120 


NORTH-EAST  VOVAGES. 


i 


^r 


'\\ 


lil 


throwing  at  the  bears  whatever  came  first  to  hand^ 
by  which  the  attention  of  the  animals  was  always 
for  a  moment  attracted,  though  they  returned  to  the 
charge  with  fresh  vigour.  At  lengthy  when  matters 
seemed  approaching  to  extremity,  a  halberd  was 
darted  at  the  largest,  which  struck  him  on  the  mouth 
with  such  force  that  he  retreated,  and  the  others  fol- 
lowed. ^ 

Notwithstanding  this  intense  rigour,  winter  had 
not  yet  thoroughly  set  in.  Several  days  of  south- 
west wind  dissolved  a  vast  quantity  of  ice,  and  they 
saw  a  wide  open  sea  without,  while  the  vessel  was 
enclosed  within,  as  it  were,  by  a  solid  wall.  By 
October  they  completed  their  hut,  and  prepared  to 
convey  thither  their  provisions  and  stores.  Some 
painfid  discoveries  were  now  made.  Several  tuns 
of  fine  Dantzic  beer,  of  an  agreeable  and  medicinal 
quality,  and  from  which  they  had  anticipated  much 
comfort,  had  frozen  so  hard  as  to  break  the  casks, 
bursting  even  the  iron  hoops  by  which  they  were 
held.  The  contents,  indeed,  existed  in  the  form  of 
ice,  but  this,  when  thawed,  had  merely  the  taste  of 
bad  water ;  and  though  in  the  middle  they  found  a 
liquor  concentrating  in  itself  the  whole  strength  of 
the  beer,  it  had  not  the  true  flavour  and  character  of 
that  beverage.  They  made  trial  of  mixing  the  two 
together,  but  without  being  able  to  restore  its  proper 
relish  and  virtue. 

The  sun,  which  had  hitherto  been  their  only  plea- 
sure and  consolation,  began  now  to  pay  only  short 
visits,  and  to  give  signs  of  his  approaching  departure. 
He  rose  in  the  south-south-east  and  set  in  the  south- 
south-west,  while  the  moon  was  scarcely  dimmed  by 
his  presence.  On  the  1st  November  his  full  orb  waa 
still  seen  for  a  short  interval ;  on  the  2d  it  rested  on 
the  horizon,  from  which  it  did  not  detach  itself;  on 
the  4th  the  sky  was  calm  and  clear,  but  no  sun  rose 
or  set. 

The  dreary  winter  night  of  three  months,  which 


'.) 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


121 


had  now  set  in,  was  not,  however,  without  some 
^leviations.  The  moon,  now  at  the  full,  wheeled 
her  pale  but  perpetual  circle  round  the  horizon. 
With  the  sun  disappeared  also  the  bear,  and  in  his 
room  came  the  Arctic  fox,  a  beautiful  little  creature, 
whose  flesh  resembled  kid,  and  furnished  a  variety 
to  their  meals.  They  found  great  difficulty  in  the 
measurement  of  time,  and  on  the  6th  rose  only  late 
in  the  day,  when  a  controversy  ensued  whether  it 
was  day  or  ni&fht.  The  cold  had  stopped  the  move- 
ments of  all  the  clocks,  but  they  afterward  formed 
a  sand-glass  of  twelve  hours,  by  which  they  contrived 
tolerably  to  estimate  their  time. 

On  the  3d  December,  as  the  sailors  lay  in  bed,  they 
heard  from  without  a  noise  so  tremendous  as  if  all 
the  mountains  of  ice  by  which  they  were  surrounded 
had  fallen  in  pieces  over  each  other.  In  fact,  the 
first  light  which  they  after^vard  obtained  showed  a 
considerable  extent  of  open  sea :  yet  this  disruption 
must  have  been  produced  by  a  merely  internal  move- 
ment of  the  ice,  not  by  any  tendency  towards  thaw. 

As  the  season  advanced,  the  cold  became  always 
more  and  more  intense.  Early  in  December  a  dense 
fall  of  snow  stopped  up  all  the  passages  by  which  the 
smoke  could  escape :  so  that  a  fire,  at  all  fitted  for 
the  dreadful  inclemency  of  the  season,  led  to  the 
danger  of  suffocation.  The  men  were  thus  obliged 
to  keep  the  room  at  a  miserably  low  temperature,  for 
which  they  used  the  imperfect  remedy  of  heated 
stones,  passed  from  one  bed  to  another.  One  great 
trouble  was  how  to  wash  their  clothes ;  whenever 
they  took  these  up  from  the  boiling  water,  and  began 
to  wring  them,  the  linen  froze  in  their  hands ;  and 
when  they  hung  them  up  to  dry,  the  side  farthest 
from  the  fire  was  hard  frozen.  The  cold  becoming 
always  more  rigorous,  ice  two  inches  thick  was 
formed  on  the  walls.  At  length  their  sufl^erings 
came  to  such  an  extremity,  that,  casting  at  each  other 
languishing  and  piteous  looks,  they  anticipated  thai 

L 


i1 


•»      .   I 


!l     ( 


122 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


this  must  end  in  the  extinction  of  life.  They  now 
resolved  that,  cost  what  it  might,  they  shoidd  for 
once  be  thoroughly  warmed.  They  repaired,  there- 
fore, to  the  ship,  whence  they  brought  an  ample  sup- 
ply of  coal ;  and  having  kindled  an  immense  fire,  and 
carefully  stopped  up  the  windows  and  every  aperture 
by  which  the  cold  could  penetrate,  they  did  bring 
themselves  into  a  most  comfortable  tempera  ure.  Li 
this  delicious  state,  to  which  they  had  been  so  long 
strangers,  they  went  to  rest,  and  talked  gayly  for 
some  time  before  falling  asleep.  Suddenly,  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  several  awakened  in  a  state  of 
the  most  painful  vertigo ;  their  cries  roused  the  rest, 
and  all  found  themselves,  more  or  less,  in  the  same 
alarming  predicament.  On  attempting  to  rise,  they 
became  dizzy,  and  could  neither  stand  nor  walk.  At 
length  two  or  three  contrived  to  stagger  towards  the 
door ;  but  the  first  who  opened  it  fell  down  insensible 
among  the  snow.  De  Veer,  who  stood  behind,  re- 
vived him  by  pouring  vinegar  on  his  face ;  and  the 
wintry  air,  which  had  been  their  greatest  dread,  now 
restored  life  to  the  whole  party. 

These  unhappy  mariners  bemg  thus  compelled  to 
afford  a  certain  access  to  the  wintry  blast,  its  effects 
became  always  more  and  more  insupportable.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  fire  had  lost  all  power  of  conveying 
heat :  their  clothes  w  ere  white  with  snow  and  hoar- 
frost ;  their  stockings  were  burned  before  the  feet 
felt  any  warmth,  and  this  burning  was  announced  by 
smell  rather  than  by  feeling.  Yet,  in  the  very  midst 
of  these  sufferinffs,  remembering  that  the  6th  January 
was  the  feast  of  the  Kings,  they  besought  the  master 
that  they  might  be  allowed  to  celebrate  that  great 
Dutch  festivsd.  They  had  saved  a  little  wine  and 
two  pounds  of  flour,  with  which  they  fried  pancakes 
in  oil;  the  tickets  were  drawn,  the  runner  was 
crowned  king  of  Nova  Zembla,  and  the  evening 
passed  as  merrily  as  if  they  had  been  at  home  round 
their  native  fireside.    Nothing  can  more  strikingly 


NORTH-EAST     /OYAOES. 


123 


hey  now 
oidd  for 
d,  there- 
iple  sup- 
fire,  and 
aperture 
id  bring 
lire.  Li 
so  long 
ayly  for 
y,  in  the 
state  of 
the  rest, 
he  same 
ise,  they 
ilk.  At 
ards  the 
sensible 
iiind,  re- 
and  the 
lad,  now 

elled  to 
3  effects 
ble.  It 
iveying 
id  hoar- 
he  feet 
iced  by 
y  midst 
anuary 
master 
t  great 
ne  and 
ncakes 
er  was 
jvening 
B  round 
ikingly 


1 


illustrate  the  salutary  effects  produced  even  in  these 
desperate  circumstances  by  mental  occupation  and 
amusement, — effects  of  which  Captain  Parry  after- 
ward made  so  happy  a  use. 

About  the  middle  of  January  the  crews  began  to 
experience  some  abatement  of  that  deep  darkness 
in  which  they  had  so  long  been  involved.  On  throw- 
ing a  bowl,  they  could  see  it  run  along  the  ground, 
which  was  before  impossible.  Soon  after,  about 
midday,  a  faint  flush  was  seen  to  tinge  the  horizon ; 
and  this  first  dawn  of  the  annual  morning  revived  in 
their  hearts  the  hope  which  was  almost  extinguished. 
On  the  24th  De  Veer  and  two  others  ran  in  to  say 
that  they  had  seen  a  portion  of  the  sun's  disk.  Ba- 
rentz  demonstrated,  from  the  structure  of  the  earth, 
that  this  could  not  take  place  for  fifteen  days.  Many, 
however,  trusted  more  to  the  eyes  of  their  compa- 
nions ;  and  bets  were  taken,  which  could  not  be  de- 
cided in  the  two  following  days  in  consequence  of  a 
heavy  fog  in  which  the  air  was  involved.  The  27th, 
however,  being  clear,  they  went  out  in  a  body,  and 
saw,  ascending  above  the  horizon,  the  full  orb  of 
that  great  luminary.  Joy  took  possession  of  their 
hearts,  and  Barentz  in  vain  continued  to  prove,  that 
this  appearance  was  contrary  to  every  principle  of 
science.  He  was  not  aware  of  the  extensive  power 
of  refraction  in  this  northern  air,  which  in  Capt.  Par- 
ry's expedition,  produced  a  similar  abridgment  in  the 
duration  of  the  Polar  winter. 

Affairs  now  assumed  a  more  cheerful  aspect.  Inr 
stead  of  constantly  moping  in  the  hut,  the  men  weilt 
out  daily,  employed  themselves  in  walking,  running, 
and  athletic  games,  which  warmed  their  bodies  and 
preserved  their  health.  With  the  sun,  however,  ap- 
peared their  old  enemy,  the  bear.  One  attacked  them 
amid  so  thick  a  mist  that  they  could  not  see  to  point 
their  pieces,  and  sought  shelter  in  the  hut.  The  bear 
came  to  the  door,  and  made  the  most  desperate  at- 
tempts to  burst  it  open ;  but  the  master  kept  his 


\i 


4 


'4 


^:  .  n 


i 


'     j 


pt  fit 


I* ' 


I 


i\ 


I  i 


>: 
'  I 


'      i      f: 


'v 


S} 


:0- 


"f. 


V 


124 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


back  firmly  set  against  it,  and  the  animal  at  last  re- 
treated. Soon  after  he  mounted  the  roof,  where, 
having  in  vain  attempted  to  enter  by  the  chimney,  he 
made  furious  attempts  to  pull  it  down,  having  torn 
the  sail  in  which  it  was  wrapped ;  all  the  while  his 
frightful  and  hungry  roarings  spread  dismay  through 
the  mansion  beneath ;  at  length  he  retreated.  An- 
other came  so  close  to  the  man  on  guard,  who  was 
looking  another  way,  that,  on  receiving  the  alarm 
from  those  within  and  looking  about,  he  saw  himself 
almost  in  the  jaws  of  the  bear;  however,  he  had  the 
presence  of  mind  instantly  to  fire,  when  the  animal 
was  struck  in  the  head,  retreated,  and  was  afterward 
pursued  and  despatched. 

The  first  reappearance  of  the  sun  had  inspired 
hopes  that  the  weather  would  become  continually 
more  mild  and  agreeable.  It  was,  therefore,  a  severe 
disappointment,  when,  in  February,  a  heavy  north- 
east gale  brought  a  cold  more  intense  than  ever,  and 
buried  the  hut  again  under  snow.  This  was  the  more 
deeply  felt,  as  the  men's  strength  and  supply  of  ge- 
nerous food  to  recruit  it  were  alike  on  the  decline. 
They  no  longer  attempted  daily  to  clear  a  road,  but 
those  who  were  able  went  out  and  in  by  the  chim- 
ney. A  dreadful  calamity  then  overtook  them  m  the 
failure  of  their  stock  of  wood  for  fuel.  They  began 
to  gather  all  the  fragments  which  had  been  thrown 
away,  or  lay  scattered  about  the  hut ;  but  these  being 
soon  exhausted,  it  behooved  them  to  carry  out  their 
sledge  in  search  of  more.  To  dig  the  trees,  how- 
ever, out  of  the  deep  snow,  and  drag  them  to  the  hut, 
was  a  task  which,  in  their  present  exhausted  state, 
would  have  appeared  impossible,  had  they  not  felt 
that  they  must  do  it  or  perish. 

In  the  course  of  March  and  April,  the  weather  be- 
came milder,  and  the  attention  of  all  the  creM'  was 
drawn  to  plans  and  prospects  of  return.  Southward 
on  the  side  of  Tartary,  the  icy  masses  were  still 
floating,  but  to  the  north-east  there  was  an  immense 


NORTH-EAST    VOYAGES. 


12d 


open  sea.  Yet  the  barriers  which  enclosed  the  ship 
not  only  continued,  but,  to  their  inexpressible  grief, 
rapidly  increased,  probably  from  the  fragments  which 
floated  in  upon  the  breaking  up  of  the  grgat  exterior 
mass.  In  the  middle  of  March  these  ramparts  were 
only  75  paces  broad,  in  the  beginning  of  May  they 
were  500.  These  piles  of  ice  resembled  the  houses 
of  a  great  city,  interspersed  with  apparent  towers, 
steeples,  and  chimneys.  The  sailors,  viewing  with 
despair  this  position  of  the  vessel,  earnestly  en- 
treated permission  to  fit  out  the  two  boats,  and  in 
them  to  undertake  the  voyage  homeward.  The  mas- 
ter at  length  agreed,  prpvided  there  was  no  better 
prospect  by  the  end  of  May.  From  the  20th  to  the 
26th  a  north  wind  came  on,  and  ble\f  upon  them  a  still 
greater  quantity  of  ice ;  so  that  they  no  longer  hesitated 
to  begin  their  work,  and  to  bring  from  the  ship  sails 
and  cordage.  The  mere  digging  of  the  boats  from 
under  the  snow  was  a  most  laborious  task,  and  the 
equipment  of  them  would  have  been  next  to  impos- 
sible, but  for  the  enthusiasm  with  which  it  was  un- 
dertaken. By  the  11th  June  they  had  the  vessels 
fitted  out,  their  clothes  packed,  and  the  provisions 
embarked.  Then,  however,  they  had  to  cut  a  way 
through  the  steeps  and  walls  of  ice  which  intervened 
between  them  and  the  open  sea.  Amid  the  extreme 
fatigue  of  digging,  breaking,  and  cutting,  they  were 
kept  in  play  by  a  huge  bear  which  had  come  over  the 
frozen  sea  from  Tartary. 

At  length,  the  crew,  having  embarked  all  their  clothes 
and  provisions,  set  sail  on  the  14th  with  a  westerly 
breeze.  In  the  three  following  days  they  passed  the 
Cape  of  Isles,  Cape  Desire,  and  came  to  Orange  Isle, 
always  working  their  way  through  much  encumber- 
ing ice.  As  they  were  off  Icy  Cape,  Barentz,  long 
struggling  with  severe  illness,  and  now  feeling  his  end 
approach,  desired  himself  to  be  lifted  up  that  he  might 
take  a  last  view  of  that  fatal  and  terrible  boundaiy, 
on  which  he  gazed  for  a  considerable  time. 

L2 


I 


Ml 


#rii 


ff  ' 

'w 

!■'' 

if 

fi 

y 

.1 

. 

'<• 


*      ii 


li 


i 


I 
ft 


i: 


126 


NORfH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


On  the  following  day  the  \essels  were  again  in- 
volved amid  masses  of  drift-ice,  and  were  so  forcibly 
struck,  as  well  as  squeezed  between  opposite  fields, 
that  the  men  had  bid  a  final  adieu  to  each  other.  See- 
ing, however,  a  body  of  fixed  ice  at  a  little  distance,  De 
Veer  took  a  rope  and  leaped  from  fragment  to  fragment, 
till  he  arrived  on  the  firm  surface.  A  communica- 
tion thus  formed,  they  landed  first  the  sick,  then  the 
stores  and  provisions,  and,  finally,  they  drew  the 
boats  themselves  upon  the  ice.  During  this  deten- 
tion, Barentz,  being  informed  of  the  severe  illness  of 
one  Adrianson,  said,  that  he  himself  was  not  far  from 
his  end.  As  he  continued,  however,  conversing  and 
looking  on  a  chart  of  the  voyage  made  by  De  Veer, 
it  was  thought  tHat  his  disease  could  not  be  so  seri- 
ous, tir  he  pushed  aside  the  chart,  asked  for  a  draught 
of  water,  and  immediately  expired.  This  event  ex- 
tremely aiBicted  the  crews,  both  from  their  personal 
attachment  to  Barentz,  and  the  loss  of  his  skill  in 
piloting  the  vessels. 

The  sailors,  with  some  driftwood,  repaired  the 
boats ;  the  ice,  however,  was  stiil  close  around,  and 
they  were  struck  with  the  fear  that  they  would  never 
escape  from  this  bank,  but  must  perish  upon  it.  On 
the  22d^  however,  there  appeared  open  sea  at  a  little 
distance,  and  having  dragged  the  boats  over  succes- 
sive pieces  of  ice,  they  were  again  afloat.  In  the 
three  following  days  thev  reached  Cape  Nassau,  the 
ice  frequently  stopping  tnem,  but  opening  again  like 
the  gates  of  a  sluice,  and  allowing  a  passage.  On 
the  26th  they  were  obliged  once  more  to  disembark 
and  pitch  their  tents  on  the  frozen  surface.  On  the 
opposite  coast  they  saw  immense  herds  of  sea-cows 
(walrus),  and  the  air  darkened  with  numberless 
birds.  While  they  were  fast  asleep  in  the  tent,  the 
sentinel  called  out,  "  Three  bears !  three  hears  r  The 
whole  crew  were  instantly  out ;  their  muskets  were 
charged  only  with  small  shot  for  birds;  however 
**  these  sweetmeats,"  though  they  could  not  inflict  any 


NOPTH-KAST   VOYAGES. 


127 


serious  wound,  induced  the  monsters  to  turn,  when 
one  of  them  was  pursued  and  killed.  The  dead  bear 
was  carried  off  in  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  survivors 
to  the  most  rugged  parts  of  the  ice,  where  the  two 
devoured  a  large  portion  of  his  carcass. 

The  year  was  now  advanced ;  the  bright  light  of 
the  sun  and  the  occasional  south-westerly  breezes 
dissolved  the  ice,  and  gradually  opened  a  way  before 
them.  It  brought^  however,  dangers  of  a  new  class. 
The  distinction  between  fixed  and  floating  ice  had 
now  almost  ceased,  the  former  melting  continually 
away.  As  they  thought  themselves  lying  secure  on 
a  large  field,  a  body  of  icebergs  came  in  from  the 
open  sea,  struck  and  dashed  it  to  pieces.  The  pack- 
ages were  separated  from  the  ooats,  and  several 
dropped  into  the  water.  It  was  laborious  to  scram- 
ble over  the  detached  fragments  to  a  place  of  safety, 
while  the  weighty  articles  sank  into  the  softened  ice, 
not  without  the  greatest  risk  of  falling  to  the  bottom. 
For  twelve  hours  the  sailors  floundered  through  this 
loose  and  broken  surface  before  they  could  establish 
themselves  on  the  field  which  was  attached  to  the 
land. 

The  2d  of  July  was  the  finest  day  yet  seen  in  Nova 
Zembla;  and  the  weather,  continuing  favourable, 
produced  on  the  7th  an  open  sea,  to  which,  with 
great  labour,  the  men  succeeded  in  dragging  the 
boats.  From  this  time  their  progress,  though  often 
obstructed,  was  never  entirely  stopped.  In  several 
of  the  rocky  bays  they  caught  an  immense  number 
of  birds,  these  poor  animals  not  having  yet  learned 
to  fear  man,  and  allowing  themselves  to  be  taken  by 
the  hand.  Near  Admiralty  Bay  they  saw  two  hun- 
dred sea-cows  lying  on  a  bank  of  ice,  and  attacked 
them ;  but  these  powerful  animals  advanced  to  the 
combat,  snorting  and  blowing  in  so  tremendous  a 
manner,  that,  had  not  a  fresh  wind  sprung  up,  the 
mariners  might  have  been  in  a  serious  predicament; 
and  they  repented  bitterly,  amid  so  many  inevitable 


*       5 


'  i;; 


i\ 


m 


i  f 


I: 


12B 


NORTH-EAST  VOYAGES. 


W 


);■ 


III 


i 

h 
n 

i 


evils,  to  have  brought  on  themselves  one  so  very  un- 
necessary. 

On  the  28th,  after  passing  the  bay  of  St.  Lawrence, 
when  they  approached  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
Nova  Zembla,  the  navigators  discovered,  with  sur- 
prise and  joy,  two  Russian  vessels  at  anchor.  They 
approached,  and  were  received  with  the  usual  cour- 
tesy of  that  nation.  Several  of  the  Russians  recol- 
lected having  met  them  in  the  former  voyage,  and 
were  truly  astonished,  instead  of  the  large  and 
handsome  vessels  whose  equipment  they  had  so 
much  admired,  to  see  them  in  these  miserable  open 
boats,  with  meager  and  wasted  frames.  After  mutual 
presents,  the  parties  agreed  to  sail  together  to  Way- 
gatz,  but  were  separated  by  a  heavy  gale.  On  a 
small  isle  the  Dutch  found  abundance  of  cochlearia,  or 
scurvy-grass,  by  the  use  of  which  the  sick  recovered 
in  a  manner  almost  miraculous.  On  the  3d  August 
they  steered  their  course  to  the  south-south-west, 
and,  though  somewhat  obstructed  by  ice,  came  on 
the  4th  in  view  of  the  coast  of  Russia.  They  had  a 
tedious  but  safe  coasting  voyage  to  Kola,  where,  to 
their  joyful  surprise,  they  found  John  Corneliz,  who 
received  them  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  af- 
forded them  a  comfortable  passage  to  Amsterdam. 
As  no  account  was  ever  given  of  this  commander's 
own  voyage,  it  may  be  presumed  that  it  did  not  lead 
to  any  important  discovery. 

The  question  as  to  a  north-eastern  passage  was  not 
yet  considered  as  finally  determined.  The  London 
merchants  next  took  it  up,  and,  in  1608,  fitted  out 
Henry  Hudson,  who  had  already  distinguished  him- 
self by  a  voyage  to  Spitzbergen,  and  proved  one  of 
the  greatest  of  the  early  navigators.  The  design  of 
Hudson  appears  to  have  been,  not  to  entangle  himself 
in  the  straits  and  islands  on  the  Russian  coast,  but  to 
strike  direct  into  the  channel  between  Nova  Zembla 
and  Spitzbergen.  He  dropped  down  to  Blackwall 
on  the  22d  April,  and  on  the  3d  June  saw  the  North 


i^ery  un* 

wrence, 
imity  of 
ith  sur- 

They 
al  cour- 
is  recol- 
ige,  and 
rge  and 
had  so 
)le  open 
•mutual 
o  Way- 

On  a 
^aria,  or 
covered 
August 
h-west, 
ame  on 
y  had  a 
here,  to 
iz,  who 
and  af- 
;erdam. 
ander's 
ot  lead 

vns  not 
jondon 
ed  out 
him- 
one  of 
sign  of 
imself 
but  to 
iembla 
ikwall 
North 


^ 


NORTH-EAST    VOYAGES. 


129 


Cape,  bearing  south-west.  He  still  pushed  on  to  the 
north  and  east,  till  he  reached  the  latitude  of  75  de- 
grees, when  he  found  himself  er  "angled  among  ice. 
He  at  first  endeavoured  to  pusn  through,  but,  fail- 
ing in  this  attempt,  turned  and  extricated  himself 
with  only  "  a  few  rubs.*'  On  the  12th  June  he  expe- 
rienced a  thick  fog,  and  had  his  shrouds  frozen ;  but 
the  sky  then  cleared,  and  afforded  bright  sunshine 
for  the  whole  day  and  night.  On  the  15th,  Thomas 
Hilles  and  Robert  Rayner  solemnly  averred,  that, 
standing  on  deck,  they  had  seen  a  mermaid.  This 
marine  maiden  is  described  as  having  a  female  back 
and  breast,  a  very  white  skin,  and  long  black  haii 
flowing  behind ;  but  on  her  turning  round  they  de- 
scried a  tail  as  of  a  porpoise,  and  speckled  like  a 
mackerel.  It  seems  uncertain  which  ol  the  ceta- 
ceous species  suggested  this  fancied  resemblance  to 
the  human  form. 

Hudson  continued  to  push  on  eastward,  varying, 
according  to  the  wind,  between  the  latitudes  of  74® 
and  75°.  On  the  25th,  however,  heavy  north  and 
north-easterly  gales,  accompanied  with  fog  and 
snow,  obliged  him  to  steer  south-easterly ;  and  this 
course,  on  the  26th,  brought  him  to  the  coast  of  Nova 
Zembla,  in  lat.  72°  25'.  Here,  seemingly  with  prema- 
ture resignation,  when  June  was  not  yet  closed,  he  con- 
cluded that  it  were  fruitless  to  attempt  to  hold  this 
year  a  more  northerly  course ;  in  place  of  which  he 
resolved  to  try  the  old  and  so  often  vainly-attempted 
route  of  the  Waygatz^  From  this  he  was  diverted  by 
the  view  of  a  large  sound,  which  appeared  to  afford 
an  equally  promising  opening.  On  its  shores  also 
were  numerous  herds  of  morses,  from  which  he  hoped 
to  defray  the  expense  of  the  voyage.  Nova  Zembla, 
on  the  whole,  seen  under  this  Arctic  midsummer,  pre- 
sented to  him  somewhat  of  a  gay  aspect.  He  says, 
it  is  "  to  man's  eye  a  pleasant  land ;  much  mayne 
land,  with  no  snow  on  it,  looking  in  some  places  green, 
and  deer  feeding  ♦hereon."    The  sound,  however,  as 


4 


i< 


. 


Ill 


m 


M 


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t. 

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) 

i  ■ 

/  » 


130 


NORTH-EAST    VOYAGES. 


might  have  been  conjectured  from  the  strong  current 
which  came  down,  terminated  in  a  large  river,  and 
the  boats  soon  came  to  anchorage  in  one  fathom. 
The  morses  also,  though  seen  in  great  numbers,  could 
never  be  brought  to  close  quarters.  The  ice  now 
came  in  great  masses  from  the  south,  "  very  fearful 
to  look  on ;"  and  though,  "  by  the  mercy  of  God  and 
his  mighty  help,"  Hudson  escaped  the  danger,  yet  by 
the  6th  of  July  he  was  "  void  of  hope  of  a  north-east 
passage,"  and,  determining  to  put  his  employers  to 
no  farther  expense,  hastened  home  to  England. 

We  know  not  whether  the  Muscovy  merchants 
had  been  fully  satisfied  with  the  zeal  displayed  by 
Hudson  in  this  expedition ;  for  we  find  him  in  1609 
setting  sail  from  the  Texel  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company,  whose  hopes  of  a 
northern  passage  had  again  revived.  On  the  5th  May 
he  passed  the  North  Cape,  and  on  the  19th  came  in 
view  of  Wardhuys.  Hudson,  though  so  excellent  a 
navigator,  is  a  most  unsatisfactory  vinriter.  His  nar- 
rative, amid  vague  complaints  of  fog  and  ice,  shows 
only  that  he  determined  to  turn  his  prow,  and  seek 
to  repass  the  North  Cape,  whence  he  steered  across 
the  Atlantic  to  America.  Forster  says  that  he 
reached  Nova  Zembla,  an  assertion  directly  contrary 
to  the  captain's  own  narrative,  and  inconsistent  with 
the  time  spent  in  this  part  of  the  voyage.  Accord- 
ing to  Constantin,  the  crew,  consisting  chiefly  of 
seamen  accustomed  to  seek  India  by  the  tropical 
route,  were  soon  alarmed  by  the  fogs,  tempests,  and 
floating  ice  of  the  north.  The  truth  is,  Hudson's 
own  mind  seems  to  have  been  fixed  on  north-western 
discovery.  This  appears  from  several  hints  in  his 
second  narrative ;  and  he  was  probably  inclined  to 
content  himself  with  a  mere  show  of  proceeding 
eastward,  that,  apparently  bafiied,  he  might  follow 
his  favourite  direction.  He  seems  to  have  been  im- 
pressed with  the  expectation  of  finding  an  open  sea 
between  Virginia  and  Newfoundland;   and  in  fact 


NORTH-EAST   VOYAGES. 


181 


seek 


he  discovered  the  important  bay  which  receives  the 
river  called  after  him,  the  Hudson,  and  on  which 
New- York  has  been  since  built ;  but  this  lies  out  of 
our  present  sphere. 

The  Russia  Company  made  afterward  some  at- 
tempts to  establish  a  factory  on  the  Pechora ;  but, 
after  persevering  for  two  or  three  seasons,  they  re- 
linquished this  undertaking. 

In  1676,  Captain  John  Wood,  on  his  own  sanguine 
representations  of  the  probability  of  a  north-eastern 
passage,  was  sent  out  by  the  Admiralty  in  the  Speed- 
well. On  the  farther  coast  of  Nova  Zembla,  how- 
ever, his  vessel  went  to  pieces,  and  the  crew,  cast  on 
shore,  with  difficulty  reached  their  companion,  the 
Prosperous  Pink,  which  afforded  them  a  passage 
homeward.  Wood,  though  he  had  done  nothing  to 
throw  light  on  the  question,  brought  home  an  im- 
pression respecting  it  so  very  gloomy,  that  the  plan 
of  penetrating  to  India  in  this  direction  was  thence- 
forward giveii  up,  and  has  not  been  revived  even  in 
the  eras  of  the  most  enthusiastic  enterprise. 


i  'f 


•' I'. 


i 


!!' 


J^ 


m 


132 


EARLY   FOLAR    VOYAGES. 


*i 


'H        ffil 


J 


I 


li 


CHAPTER  V. 
Early  Voyages  towards  (he  Pole. 

The  attention  of  the  public,  it  has  appeared,  had 
been  early  drawn  towards  a  Polar  passage,  which, 
by  striking  directly  across  the  ice  and  tempests  of 
that  great  boundary,  might  bring  the  navigator  by 
a  shorter  route  than  any  other  to  the  golden  realms 
of  the  East.  Mr  Robert  Thorne,  the  zealous  pro- 
motei  of  early  dis(!overy,  in  his  memorials  to  Henry 
VIII.  and  other  great  men,  placed  always  foremost 
the  scheme  of  reaching  India  by  this  daring  course. 
It  was  not  wonderful,  however,  that  such  a  voyage 
should  not  be  the  very  first  direction  of  modern  en- 
terprise. A  century  had  elapsed  from  the  discovery 
of  the  passage  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  half 
that  period  since  the  commencement  of  the  naval 
career  of  Britain,  before  her  stamen,  despairing  of 
success  by  the  more  circuitous  eastern  and  western 
tracks  hitherto  followed,  put  forth  all  their  strength, 
and  attempted  to  penetrate  this  mighty  northern  bar- 
rier of  the  earth. 

Barentz,  in  his  third  voyage,  had  discovered  Spitz- 
bergen,  called  at  first  New-Land,  and  afterward 
Greenland;  but  it  was  by  fishing  expeditions  that 
English  vessels  were  first  attracted  into  the  high  la- 
titudes of  the  Greenland  or  Polar  Sea.  In  1603,  Al- 
derman Sir  Francis  Cherie,  of  London,  fitted  out  the 
Godspeed,  under  the  command  of  Stephen  Bennet, 
seemingly  with  a  vague  scheme  of  pushing  into  the 
northern  seas  in  search  of  whatever  fortune  might 
befall.  Bennet  began  by  the  beaten  track  of  the 
North  Cape,  Wardhuys,  and  Kola ;  from  which  last 


EARLY   POLAR  VOYAGES. 


133 


<i 


3d,  had 
which, 

BStS  of 

itor  by 
realms 
as  pro- 
Henry 
iremost 
course, 
voyage 
ern  en- 
scovery 
id  half 
;  naval 
ring  of 
vestern 
rength, 
imbar- 

Spitz- 
erward 
IS  that 
igh  la- 
03,  Al- 
out  the 
Jennet, 
ito  the 

might 
of  the 
ch  last 


place,  reversing  his  direction,  he  pushed  north  and 
north-west  into  the  Arctic  Sea.  On  the  16th  August, 
at  two  o'clock,  he  descried  two  hills  which  seemed 
to  rise  above  the  clouds.  In  four  hours  he  reached 
the  Bear  Island  of  Barentz ;  and  not  aware,  it  should 
seem,  of  its  previous  discovery  by  that  navigator,  gave 
y^  to  it,  from  his  own  employer,  the  name  of  Cherie 
Island.  Here  the  sailors  caught  only  two  foxes  and 
a  few  fishes;  for  though  they  saw  the  teeth  of  a 
morse,  proving  that  those  animals  did  "  use  there,*' 
the  season  was  judged  too  far  advanced  to  commence 
operations  against  them.  They  returned  by  way  of 
Kola  and  the  North  Cape,  and  reached  the  Thames 
on  the  15th  October. 

Sir  Francis,  on  the  return  of  the  ship,  though  it 
came  empty,  judged  there  was  encouragement  enough 
to  send  out  next  year  the  same  vessel  and  commander. 
Bennet,  accordingly,  not  only  went  out  a  second  time, 
but  made  seversd  successive  voyages,  in  which  the 
capture  of  the  morse  was  carried  on  with  considera- 
ble extent  and  success. 

While  these  fishing  voyages  were  going  on,  Henry 
Hudson,  in  1607,  was  sent  out  by  the  Muscovy  Com- 
pany to  penetrate,  if  possible,  directly  across  the 
Pole.  It  was  the  first  occasion  of  this  very  bold  at- 
tempt, and  the  first  recorded  voyage  of  this  eminent 
navigator.  Hudson,  who  sailed  on  the  1st  May,  after 
having  cleared  Scotland,  and  passed  the  latitude  of 
Iceland,  took  a  direction  westward,  being  desirous 
to  survey  the  northern  and  unknown  boundaries  of 
Greenland,  thinking  there  might  be  an  open  sea  in 
that  direction  as  likely  as  in  any  other.  On  the  13th 
June,  the  ships  were  involved  in  thick  fog,  their 
shrouds  and  sails  being  frozen ;  but  when  it  cleared 
next  morning,  the  sailors  descried  a  high  and  bold 
headland,  mostly  covered  with  snow,  behind  which 
rose  a  castellated  mountain,  named  the  Mount  of 
God's  Mercy.  Rain  now  fell,  and  the  air  felt  tem- 
perate and  agreeable.   They  steered  eastward  to  clear 

M 


:\ 


1    'A 


i-     if 


1 1  * 


N    ' 


m 


' 


V 


1i  ( 


184 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


this  coast ;  but,  after  being  for  some  time  enveloped 
in  fogs,  again  saw  land,  very  high  and  bold,  and 
without  snow  even  on  the  top  of  the  loftiest  moun- 
tains. 'To  this  cape,  in  73°,  they  gave  the  name  of 
Hold-with-Hope. 

Hudson  now  took  a  north-eastward  direction,  and 
on  the  27th  faintly  perceived,  amid  fogs  and  mist, 
the  coast  of  Spitzbergen.  He  still  pushed  northward, 
till  he  passed  the  79th  degree  of  latitude,  where  he 
found  the  sun  perpetually  ten  degrees  above  the  hori- 
zon, yet  the  weather  piercingly  cold,  and  the  shrouds 
and  sails  often  frozen.  The  ice  obliged  him  to  steer 
in  various  directions ;  but,  embracing  every  opportu- 
nity, he  pushed  on,  as  appeared  to  him,  to  Sli®,  and 
saw  land  still  continuously  stretching  as  far  as  83°. 
But  as  the  northern  extremity  of  Spitzbergen  does 
not  lie  beyond  81°  of  north  latitude,  he  must  here 
have  committed  some  mistake,  either  in  his  latitudes, 
or  in  mistaking  for  land  extensive  fields  and  masses 
of  ice.  It  has  been  supposed  that  he  had  again 
reached  the  opposite  coast  of  Greenland;  but  this 
seems  inconsistent  with  his  bearings,  which  are 
always  more  or  less  to  the  eastward.  The  latitudes 
of  81°  and  82°  he  considers  to  be  so  completely 
barred  with  ice  as  certainly  to  defeat  all  attempts  at 
a  passage  to  the  Pole  in  this  direction.  It  appeared 
to  him,  however,  that  these  seas  might  be  frequented 
with  great  advantage  on  account  of  the  immense 
multitude  of  seals  with  which  they  abound.  He  re- 
turned, coasting  along  Spitzbergen,  some  parts  of 
which  appeared  very  agreeable ;  and  on  the  15th  of 
September  arrived  in  the  Thames. 

The  Muscovy  Company,  still  the  most  enterprising 
maritime  body  in  England,  determined  yet  to  fit  out 
another  expedition  for  Polar  discovery.  They  in- 
trusted ii  to  Jonas  Poole,  who  had  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  Cherie  Island  voyages ;  and  it  was  hinted 
to  him  that  though  discovery  was  to  be  his  main  ob- 
ject, yet  he  might  catch,  at  intervals,  some  morses^ 
and  even  one  or  two  whales,  to  make  Uie  voyage 


ii 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


135 


iveloped 
old,  and 
It  moun- 
name  of 

tion,  and 
nd  mist, 
rthward, 
^here  he 
the  hori- 
shrouds 
i  to  steer 
opportu- 
U«,  and 
•  as  82°. 
fen  does 
list  here 
atitudes, 
1  masses 
d  again 
but  this 
lich  are 
latitudes 
npletely 
impts  at 
ippeared 
quented 
mmense 
He  re- 
)arts  of 
15th  of 

rprising 
)  fit  out 
'hey  in- 
ed  him- 
i  hinted 
lain  ob^ 
morses^ 
voyage 


defray  its  own  expenses.  Poole  took  his  departure 
m  due  season,  sailing  from  Blackwall  on  the  1st 
March,  1610.  By  the  16th  he  had  reached  the  coast 
of  Norway,  in  lat.  65° ;  but  the  wind  then  blew  from 
the  north  so  "extreme  fierce,  with  great  store  of 
snow  and  frost,"  and  the  vessel  was  so  laden  with 
ice,  that  it  could  not  maintain  a  "  fore  course,"  but 
was  driven  back  as  far  as  Scotland.  Here  he  re- 
mained till  the  12th  April,  when,  favoured  by  a 
southerly  breeze,  he  again  set  sail,  and,  after  many 
storms,  snows,  and  extreme  frosts,  came  in  view,  on 
the  2d  May,  of  the  North  Cape.  He  then  steered  for 
Cherie  Island,  near  which  he  judged  himself  to  be  on 
the  6th ;  but  the  fog  was  such  that  he  could  not  see  a 
cablets  length,  and  "  the  ship  had  many  a  knock ; 
but,  thanks  be  to  God,  no  harm  was  done."  Continu* 
ing  to  beat  about  in  this  obscurity,  he  entirely  missed 
Cherie  Island,  and  the  first  land  seen  was  in  76°  50', 
being  the  shores  of  a  sound  on  the  coast  of  Spitzber- 
gen,  which,  from  the  deers'  horns  found  there,  he 
named  Horn  Sound.  He  pushed  on  to  77°  25',  where 
he  found  the  air  more  temperate  than  he  had  felt  it 
at  the  North  Cape  at  the  same  season.  Soon,  how 
ever,  there  was  a  complete  reverse ;  the  ship  was  in 
volved  in  thick  fogs, — and  wind,  frost,  snow,  and 
cold  seemed  to  strive  for  the  mastery.  After  many 
a  sore  stroke  he  got  the  vessel  through;  but  the 
mainsail  was  still  "  frozen  as  hard  as  ever  he  found 
any  cloth,"  and  could  with  great  difficulty  be  set. 
He  discovered  an  island,  which  he  called  Blackpoint, 
and  the» nearest  promontory  he  named  Cape  Cold; 
but  next  day  the  weather  changed  so  entirely  that, 
had  he  fallen  in  with  it  then,  he  would  have  given  it 
a  gentler  appellation;  therefore  he  called  another 
cape  Fair  Foreland.  Poole's  views  continued  to 
brighten  when  he  found  that  the  sun,  as  the  season 
advanced,  gave  a  most  powerful  heat ;  that  the  ice 
was  melted  on  the  ponds  and  lakes,  while  that  whicli 
still  floated  on  the  sea  was  not  nearly  so  huge  as  he 
had  seen  it  in  73  degrees.    He  conceived  favourable 


i  ;i 


w 


i  f. 

i 


I 


VI 


136 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


i 


^*    \ 


hopes,  therefore,  even  after  so  sharp  a  beginning, 
and  judged  that  a  passage  by  the  Pole  was  as  likely 
to  be  found  in  this  as  in  any  other  unknown  direc- 
tion. He  might  therefore  have  been  expected  to  ap- 
ply himself  in  the  most  zealous  and  determined  man- 
ner to  seek  the  passage.  A  large  heid  of  morses, 
however,  having  come  in  sight,  he  despatched  his 
crew  in  pursuit  of  them ;  and  from  this  time  there  is 
not  another  word  of  discovery, — ^but  the  taking  of  the 
walrus  and  the  deer,  and  now  and  then  the  attack 
of  the  whale,  absorb  his  whole  attention.  He  met 
with  some  dangers.  One  day  he  attacked  a  herd  of 
morses  lying  on  ice,  which  proved  hollow,  and  sud- 
denly broke,  whereon  ice  and  beast  slid  into  the  sea 
together,  and  the  crew  had  great  difficulty  in  not 
going  along  with  them,  especially  one  man ;  for,  be- 
sides being  crushed  by  the  weight  of  dead  morses 
and  ice,  the  animals  that  were  alive  struck  at  him  in 
the  water  and  severely  bruised  him.  Upon  the 
whole,  he  judged  Spitzbergen  to  be  milder  than 
Cherie  Island,  and  was  surprised  at  the  great  number 
of  deer,  and  at  the  care  of  Providence,  which  enabled 
them  to  subsist  with  so  little  pasturage,  with  only 
the  rocks  for  a  house,  the  starry  canopy  for  a  cover- 
ing, and  not  a  bush  or  a  tree  to  shelter  them  from  the 
nipping  cold  of  winter. 

Although  Poole  returned  from  this  voyage  without 
ifiaving  done  or  almost  attempted  any  thing,  yet  as 
he  brought  a  considerable  store  of  oil  and  morses' 
teeth,  his  employers  were  not  ill  satisfied.  They 
fitted  him  out  next  year  in  the  Elizabeth  of  50  tons, 
and  in  their  instructions  distinctly  informed  him  that 
discovery  was  to  be  his  main  object ;  yet  intimated, 
that  as  he  proceeded  with  the  Mary  Margaret  des- 
tined for  the  whale-fishery,  he  might  begin  with  join- 
ing her  in  taking  a  whale  or  two,  and  in  his  course 
along  the  coast  kill  as  many  morses  as  might  chance 
to  present  themselves.  Having  extracted  the  oil,  he 
was  to  floor  the  hold  with  their  skins,  which  a  tanner 
had  agreed  to  purchase  of  the  company ;  but  all  this 


onl 
in 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES* 


137 


ginning:, 
18  likely 
1  direc- 
d  to  ap- 
Bd  man- 
morses, 
hed  his 
there  is 
g  of  the 
attack 
ie  met 
herd  of 
tid  sud- 
the  sea 
in  not 
for,  be- 
morses 
him  in 
3n  the 
r  than 
umber 
nabled 
ii  only 
cover- 
3m  the 

ithoiit 
yet  as 
lorses' 
They 
•  tons, 
1  that 
lated, 

des- 
join- 
ourse 
lance 
iU  he 
inner 

this 


' 


only  to  lighten  the  cost  of  discovery,  and  not  to  be 
in  any  degree  a  primary  object. 

The  vessels  set  sail  early  in  April  (1611),  but  were 
soon  separated  by  fogs  and  storms ;  and  when  Poole 
reached  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  he  found  only  three 
boats  escaped  from  the  wreck  of  the  Mary  Margaret. 
In  the  rest  of  his  proceedings  we  never  hear  a  single 
word  of  Polar  discovery;  but  he  applied  himself 
most  diligently  to  the  secondary  object ;  and  by  the 
3d  of  August  he  had  accumulated  oil,  morse  skins, 
and  teeth,  to  the  extent  of  29  tons, — a  good  lading, 
he  observes,  for  a  ship  of  50.  Accordingly  it  proved 
her  ruin.  As  the  last  package  was  brought  in  she 
went  entirely  to  one  side,  and  all  the  morse  skins 
which  lay  loose  in  the  hold,  slipping  in  the  same  di- 
rection, carried  her  entirely  under  water.  Poole, 
who  srt  »  the  cabin,  considered  himself  as  having 
oii^  the  •  tion  of  two  deaths,  either  to  be  drowned 
by  remai  .3,  or,  in  attempting  escape,  to  be  killed 
by  the  casks,  staves,  and  divers  other  things  which 
were  traversing  the  ship  in  every  direction.  He 
chose  the  latter  alternative  as  the  least  certain,  and 
though  twice  beaten  down,  was  plucked  from  the 
jaws  of  death,  being  enabled  to  crawl  out  with  only 
his  scull  laid  open,  his  ears,  back,  and  ribs  severely 
bruised.  The  crew,  who  all  escaped,  were  taken  on 
board  a  Hull  ship  commanded  by  Thomas  Marma- 
duke,  of  whom  Poole  makes  many  complaints,  which 
Purchas,  thinking  too  diffuse,  has  omitted.  Of 
Greenland  in  general  Poole  observes,  that  when  he 
went  first,  the  mountains  and  plains  were  almost 
white  with  snow;  afterward  they  appeared  green 
with  grass  and  a  little  moss;  but,  lastly,  the  sun 
with  his  powerful  heat  dissolved  the  ice,  and  exhaled 
such  a  profusion  of  vapours,  that  the  day  there  dif- 
fered little  from  the  darkest  night  elsewhere. 

He  was,  nevertheless,  sent  out  a  third  voyage  in 
1613  with  two  vessels,  the  Whale  and  the  Seahorse; 
but  he  seems  on  this  occasion  also  to  have  busied 

MS 


"! 


i! 


138 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


V'f 


f 


himself  solely  in  the  attack  of  whales,  which  he 
killed  to  the  amount  of  thirteen.    Nothing  is  men 
tioned  of  any  thing  being  either  attempted  or  pro 
jected  in  relation  to  discovery ;  but  he  relates  that 
Thomas  M armaduke  penetrated  to  the  latitude  of  82° 
No  detail,  however,  is  given,  nor  have  we  any  narra 
live  from  Marmaduke  himself;  which  is  to  be  re- 
gretted, as  he  seems  to  have  been  more  deeply  im- 
bued with  the  spirit  of  discovery  than  anjr  other 
mariner  of  that  time. 

The  next  expedition  was  in  1613,  under  William 
Baffin,  the  most  learned  navigator  of  the  age,  and 
one  of  the  greatest  names  in  northern  discovery.  It 
was  not,  however,  by  this  voyage  that  he  obtained 
his  reputation,  though  he  was  provided  with  six  good 
and  well  armed  ships ;  the  object  seems  to  have  been 
little  else  than  to  chase  from  the  Greenland  seas  all 
other  vessels  that  might  attempt  to  use  them  for 
fishery.  Their  system  was,  whenever  they  fell  in 
with  a  foreign  vessel,  to  summon  the  master  on 
board,  show  the  king's  commission  granted  to  the 
worshipful  Company,  and  desire  them  to  depart,  on 
pain  of  having  a  cannonade  immediately  opened  upon 
them.  The  strength  of  the  English  bemg  in  general 
decidedly  superior  to  that  of  any  other  squadron  that 
appeared  in  tliose  seas,  these  terms  were  usually  ac- 
ceded to  without  any  attempt  at  opposition.  At  one 
time,  indeed,  five  vessels,  Dutch,  French,  and  a  large 
one  of  700  tons  from  Biscay,  mustered,  and  showed 
signs  of  offering  battle ;  but  the  Biscayner  having 
lost  courage  and  yielded,  the  rest  were  obliged  to 
follow  his  example.  Another  Dutch  ship  having  re- 
fused, and  endeavoured  to  make  off,  so  brisk  a  fire 
was  opened  upon  her,  that  she  had  nearly  run  on 
shore,  and  was  fain  to  submit.  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  English  sailors  seem  to  have  been  on  board 
these  foreign  ships,  who  were  all,  wherever  thev 
could  be  found,  forcibly  taken  out.  It  seems  dim- 
cult  to  discover  on  what  ground  the  English  founded 
their  right  to  these  coasts,  since  they  had  neither 


of 


eaIily  polar  voyages. 


139 


lich  he 
3  men 
or  pro 
es  that 
of  82° 
r  narra 
be  re- 
Ay  im- 
r  other 

Villiam 

^e,  and 

;ry.    It 

btained 

ix  good 

vebeen 

seas  al] 

lem  for 

<■  fell  in 

ster  on 

to  the 

3art,  on 

Bd  upon 

general 

on  that 

ally  ac- 

Atone 

a  large 

liowed 

laving 

ged  to 

ingre- 

k  a  fire 

run  on 

e  num- 

board 

ir  thev 

s  difn- 

mnded 

leither 


oeen  the  first  discoverers,  nor  held  them  in  any  sort 
of  occupation.  In  fact,  they  were  not  able  ultimately 
to  make  good  the  pretensions  assumed  in  so  violent 
a  manner. 

There  is  no  mention  of  any  anxiety  or  efforts  of 
Baffin  for  the  purpose  of  discovery.  On  the  con- 
trary, Marmaduke,  who  had  been  again  attempting 
to  penetrate  to  the  north  of  Spitzbergen,  was  chid- 
den as  having  thereby  hindered  the  voyage,  and  was 
prohibited  from  any  farther  attempts  of  the  kind  this 
season.  The  former,  however,  made  some  curious, 
and  at  that  time  novel,  observations  on  the  effects 
of  refraction,  in  high  northern  latitudes. 

The  Company  still  did  not  consider  the  question 
of  a  northern  passage  decided,  as  indeed  since  the 
time  of  Hudson  it  could  not  be  said  to  have  been 
seriously  attempted.  In  1614  they  appointed  Robert 
Fotherby,  in  the  Thomasine,  to  accompany  their  great 
Greenland  fleet  of  ten  ships  and  two  pinnaces,  and 
while  the  rest  were  busied  in  fishery  to  devote  him- 
self mainly  to  discovery.  Baffin  accompanied  him 
as  pilot.  After  considerable  obstructions,  eleven 
ships  being  at  one  time  fast  among  the  ice,  the  cap^ 
tain,  by  the  6th  of  June,  pushed  on  to  Hakluyt's 
Headland.  He  endeavoured  to  penetrate  through 
Magdalena  Bay,  which  he  calls  Maudlen  Sound ;  but 
the  weather  was  foul,  and  the  ice  lay  unbroken  from 
shore  to  shore.  On  the  10th,  the  weather  permitting, 
he  stood  farther  out,  and  succeeded  in  passing  to  the 
north  of  Hakluyt's  Headland;  but  the  ice  now  pre- 
sented an  impenetrable  barrier.  Fotherby  then 
steered  westward,  in  hopes  of  a  more  favourable 
opening ;  but  the  ice  trending  south-west,  he  sailed 
twenty-eight  leagues  without  success,  and  then  re- 
turned to  the  Foreland*  About  the  middle  of  July, 
the  air  becoming  clear  and  favourable,  the  com- 
mander and  Baffin  ascended  a  high  hill,  to  see  what 
prospect  there  was  of  getting  forward ;  but,  as  far 
as  tiiey  could  disceni,  ice  lay  upon  the  sea,  which 
indeed  seemed  wholly  "  bound  with  ice,"  though  in 


■M 


'M 


\ 


'i   111! 


a 


I      ■  I 


!i  ■■  1^ ; 


I 


I 


4  , 

I:    \ 


i  [ 


i : 


140 


EARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


the  extreme  distance  there  was  an  appearance  of 
open  water,  which  inspired  some  hope.  After 
amusing  themselves  for  some  days  with  whale-kill- 
ing, they  again  mounted  a  very  high  hill,  whence 
they  saw  an  extensive  sound,  hut  much  pestered 
with  ice.  This  was  Sir  Thomas  Smith's  Sound, 
which  they  afterward  ascended  to  its  head,  and  found 
a  good  harhour,  very  advantageously  situated  for 
the  whale-fishery. 

It  was  now  the  9th  of  August,  and  Fotherhy  saw 
two  Dutch  ships,  that  had  heen  appointed  for  north- 
ern discovery,  making  their  way  southward;  but 
he  was  determined  not  to  be  baffled  without  some 
farther  struggle.  He  pushed  to  the  northward  from 
Cape  Barren,  and  had  made  twenty-four  leagues, 
when  he  met  the  ice.  He  coasted  along  it  for  two 
days,  hoping  for  some  adventure  among  its  shat?- 
tered  fragments ;  but  a  north  wind  sprang  up,  with 
heavy  snow,  and  every  thing  being  cold,  thick,  and 
winter-like,  he  was  forced  again  into  harbour.  The 
shore  and  hill  being  now  covered  with  snow,  the 
men's  minds  became  possessed  with  a  desire  of  re-- 
turning  to  England ;  but  Fotherhy  was  unwilling  to 
depart  without  some  farther  satisfaction.  He  went 
in  a  beat  up  Redcliffe  Sound,  and  though  ice  was 
newly  formed  upon  it,  of  about  the  thickness  of  a 
half-crown  piece,  he  pierced  through,  and  got  into 
open  water.  The  snow,  however,  continued  to  fall 
thick,  and  the  east  wind  forcibly  blew  in  the  ice,  so 
that  they  were  glad  to  return  to  the  ship.  Passing 
a  point,  it  was  observed  that  a  cross  which  they  had 
erected,  with  the  king's  arms  and  a  sixpence  nailed 
upon  it,  had  been  taken  down,  "  sixpence  and  all," 
by  the  Dutch,  and  Prince  Maurice's  arms  substi- 
tuted ;  this,  however,  was  speedily  redressed. 

About  the  end  of  August,  a  gale  sprang  up  from 
the  south-west,  and  brought  milder  weather  tnan  at 
any  former  period  of  the  season ;  and  the  strength 
pf  the  thaw  was  proved,  by  the  huge  masses  falling 
from  the  snowy  banks  into  the  sea,  with  a  nois^ 


fiARLY   POLAR  VOYAGES. 


141 


ranee  of 
I.  After 
hale-kill- 
,  whence 
pestered 
s  Sound, 
ind  found 
lated  for 

erby  saw 
for  north- 
ward; but 
out  some 
irard  from 
'  leases, 
it  for  two 
its  ah9.U 
:  up,  with 
thick,  and 
mr.    The 
snow,  the 
ire  of  re* 
(billing  to 
He  went 
ice  was 
ess  of  a 
got  into 
d  to  fall 
le  ice,  so 
Passing 
|they  had 
;e  nailed 
ind  all," 
substi- 

up  from 
tnan  at 
[strength 
|s  falling 
a  nois^ 


like  thunder.  Conceiving  better  hopes,  Fotherby 
pushed  out  again,  in  a  north-west  direction,  till  he 
came  nearly  to  the  latitude  of  80°,  when  he  heard  a 
mighty  noise  of  the  waves,  as  it  were,  breaking  on 
an  extensive  shore.  It  proved,  however,  that  he  was 
now  on  the  margin  of  the  great  northern  ice.  He 
coasted  for  some  time  alon?  that  grand  barrier;  but 
was  soon  embayed,  j»  d  h  difficidty  ext  •  <  5d. 
The  season  advancing,  lie  U  l  the  benefit  of  a  north 
wind  to  steer  homeward,  and  on  the  4th  October  ar- 
rived at  Wapping,  with  his  whole  crew  of  twenty-six 
men  in  perfect  health. 

Fotherby,  having  recommended  himself  on  this 
voyage  by  spirit  and  digilence,  was  sent  out  next 
year  (1615)  by  the  worshipfid  Company,  in  the 
Richard,  a  pinnace  of  only  twenty  tons.  After  many 
conflicts  with  ice  and  fog,  he  reaclied  Hakluyt's  Head- 
land about  the  beginning  of  July.  He  soon  began 
his  career  of  discovery ;  but  a  strong  southerly  gale 
driving  him  upon  the  ice,  shattered  his  bark  consi- 
derably, and  obliged  him  to  return.  As  soon  as  his 
vessel  was  refitted,  he  endeavoured,  by  a  westerly 
course,  to  find  an  opening  among  the  ice,  which  pro- 
jected in  various  points  and  capes,  but  remained  still 
fixed,  and  he  found  himself  pushed  by  it  southward 
to  the  latitude  of  76o.  We  soon  find  him  still  farthei 
west,  on  what  he  thought  should  have  been  the  south- 
ern part  of  Hudson's  Greenland ;  and  sea-fowls  in  vast 
flocks  seemed  to  indicate  land,  but  the  fog  lay  so 
thick,  **  that  he  might  easier  heaur  land  than  see 
it."  However,  about  lat.  7U°,  the  air  cleared,  and 
he  descried  a  snowy  hill  very  high  amid  the  clouds; 
and  the  fog  lying  on  each  side,  made  it  appear  like 
a  great  continent.  It  proved,  however,  to  be  only 
an  island,  probably  Jan  Mayen ;  and  as  the  shores 
presented  nothing  but  drift-wood,  and  appeared 
as  if  fortified  with  castles  and  bulwarks  of  rock, 
no  shelter  was  aflbrded  from  a  heavy  gale  which 
oegan  to  blow.  This  induced  him  to  stand  out 
again  to  sea.    He  regained  tlie  northern  point  of 


■  t     ; 


< 


I  Mi  I 


142 


£ARLY  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


i  ■ 


i    !• 


11.  ■= 


I  t 


1* 

ill 


'  t. 


i  ? 


■  ;  I 


i! 


ii 


Spitzbergen,  and  began  to  beat  for  a  Polar  pas- 
sage. The  wind,  however,  blew  so  strong  from 
the  north-north-east,  that  he  gave  up  the  attempt, 
only  resolving,  on  his  way  home,  to  take  a  sur- 
vey of  Hudson's  Hold-with-Hope.  He  came  to 
the  place  where  it  ought  to  have  been,  but  find- 
ing no  land,  he  insisted  that  Hudson  must  have 
been  mistaken  in  the  position  assigned  to  it, — a  sus- 
picion which  has  been  recently  confirmed  by  Mr. 
Scoresby.  Availing  himself  then  of  a  brisk  norths 
erly  breeze,  he  sailed  for  England. 

Fotherby,  on  being  asked  as  to  the  pyospects  of  a 
passage  through  these  seas,  replied,  that  though  he 
had  not  attained  in  this  respect  his  desire,  nothing 
yet  appeared  to  exclude  hope.  There  was  a  spacious 
sea  between  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen,  though 
much  pestered  with  ice ;  and  he  would  not  dissuade 
the  worshipful  Company  from  a  yearly  adventure  of 
£150,  or  jt200  at  the  most;  and  the  little  pinnace, 
with  ten  men,  in  which  he  had  sailed  two  thousand 
leagues,  appeared  to  him  more  convenient  for  that 
purpose  than  any  of  larger  dimensions.  A  very  long 
period,  however,  elapsed  before  any  attempt  of  tliik 
mature  was  resumed. 


• 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


14d 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Early  Voyages  in  Search  of  a  North-West  Passage: 

Notwithstanding  the  early,  repeated,  and  vigoroug 
efforts  to  discover  a  passage  by  the  east  and  north- 
east, the  west  was  the  quarter  which  finally  drew 
forth  the  grandest  series  of  naval  enterprise,  and  flat- 
tered the  nation  longest  with  the  hope  ol  this  signal 
discovery.  The  maritime  world  were  yet  very  little 
aware  of  the  immense  breadth  of  America  at  its 
northern  limit.  That  continent  was  long  imagined 
to  terminate  in  a  cape,  after  rounding  which,  and 
passing  through  the  strait  of  Anian, — an  imaginary 
channel,  supposed  by  the  early  geographers  to  sepa- 
rate America  from  Asia, — an  entrance  would  be 
opened  at  once  into  the  Pacific,  and  the  navigatot 
might  proceed  full  sail  to  Japan,  China,  the  Spice 
Islands,  and  all  the  regions  abounding  in  Indian 
wealth. 

Portugal,  first  of  the  European  nations,  had  em- 
barked in  the  career  of  ocean-discovery.  Her  mo- 
narchs  and  princes  devoted  their  most  anxious  study 
and  all  the  resources  of  their  kingdom  to  double  the 
southern  point  of  Africa^  and  thereby  to  overcome 
the  obstacles  opposed  by  that  continent  to  a  direct 
commence  with  India.  Their  efforts  were  crowned 
by  the  discovery  of  the  passage  by  the  Cape,  through 
which  the  trade  and  treasures  of  the  Eastern  World 
became  theirs.  This  would  have  been  the  most 
brilliant  maritime  enterprise  ever  performed,  had  it 
not  been  rivalled  by  the  contemporaneous  discovery 
of  America.  Enough  might  seem  to  have  been  done 
both  for  the  benefit  and  the  glory  of  Portugal^  with* 


U  11  m 


.i 


ti'i 


I  *     M 


r44 


BARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGE*. 


m  *  ■ 


!  I 


(ti 


out  directing  the  national  resources  into  any  other 
channel.  Yet  one  of  the  most  illustrious  houses  of 
that  kingdom,  with  much  enthusiasm  and  no  small 
loss,  devoted  itself  to  western  navigation.  This 
house  was  that  of  Cortereal ;  for  a  member  of  which, 
John  Vaz  Cortereal,  claims  are  advanced  as  having 
disco^^ered  Newfoundland,  nearly  a  century  before 
the  celebrated  voyages  of  Columbus  or  Cabot-  In 
1500,  his  son,  Caspar  Cortereal,  immediately  upon 
the  discovery  of  the  Western  World,  resolved  to  fol- 
low in  the  steps  of  Cokimbas.  Having  obtained  from 
the  king  two  vessels,  he  touched  at  Tercefra,  one  of 
the  Azores,  proceeded  northward,  whence  he  endea- 
voured to  find  his  way  to  India  by  some  of  the  higher 
latitudes.  Respecting  the  details  of  this  voyage 
there  remain  only  detached  shreds,  which  Mr.  Barrow 
has  collected  with  equal  learning  and  diligence.  His 
first  attempt  appears  to  have  been  made  by  the  broad 
opening  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  which  he  pro- 
bably ascended,  till,  by  the  narrowing  channel  and 
the  descending  current,  it  was  ascertained  to  termi- 
nate in  a  river,  and  to  afford  no  hope  of  a  passage 
round  America.  He  then  steered  northwards,  and 
passed  along  a  coast  which  Europeans  have  since  com- 
monly called  Labrador,  but  which  in  the  early  maps 
bears  from  him  the  name  of  Corterealis.  In  some  of 
the  relations,  this  coast  is  called  Terra  Verde  (Green- 
land), but  it  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  coun^ 
try  to  which  Europeans  have  almost  as  improperly 
affixed  that  name.  The  territory  is  represented  as 
amply  stocked  with  timber,— a  description  which 
applies  to  the  spacious  forests  of  fir  and  pine  that 
elothe  the  region  immediately  north  of  Canada.  The 
natives  are  correctly  described  as  of  small  stature, — 
a  simple  and  laborious  race ; — and  no  less  than  fifty- 
seven  being  allured  or  carried  on  board,  were  con- 
veyed to  Portugal.  After  a  run  along  this  coast,  es- 
timated at  eight  hundred  miles,  Cortereal  came  to  a 
fegion  whi8h  appeared  to  some  as  lying  almost  be- 


ly  other 
mses  of 
o  small 
.  This 
*  which, 
;  haring 
'  before 
)ot.  In 
ly  upon 
dtofol- 
ed  from 
,  one  of 
!  endea- 
3  higher 
voyage 
Barrow 
e.  His 
le  broad 
he  pro- 
nel  and 
)  termi  • 
massage 
■ds,  and 
ce  com- 
y  maps 
ome  of 
[Green- 
3  coun- 
roperly 
nted  as 
which 
le  that 
The 
ture, — 
n  fifty- 
e  con- 
ist,  es- 
le  to  a 
)st  be- 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


145 


neath  the  Pole,  and  similar  to  that  formerly  reached 
by  Nicolo  and  Antonio  Zeno.  Ramusio  more  expli- 
citly states  the  highest  latitude  attained  as  only 
60**,  which  would  jSace  the  vessels  about  the  en- 
trances into  Hudson's  Bay.  But  the  season  must 
now  have  been  far  advanced ;  and  the  approach  of 
the  Polar  winter,  the  floating  mountains  of  ice,  the 
thick  snows  which  filled  the  air, — all  the  gloomy 
characteristics  of  an  Arctic  winter, — must,  to  a  crew 
accustomed  only  to  navigate  the  warm  and  temperate 
seas,  have  appeared  peculiarly  terrible.  It  was 
judged  absolutely  necessary  to  return  to  Portugal. 
That  this  necessity,  however,  was  considered  to  arise 
from  the  season  only,  and  that  no  general  jxanic  was 
struck  into  the  mind  of  this  intrepid  navigator,  was 
sufficiently  testified  by  his  appearing  on  the  sea  next 
season  with  two  vessels,  which  he  guided  directly  to 
the  most  northerly  point  of  the  former  voyage.  Here 
he  is  described  as  entering  a  strait,  Hudson's  per- 
haps, or  more  probably  Frobisher's ;  but  at  this  cri- 
tical point  of  the  voyage  the  vessels  were  separated 
by  a  tempest,  and  probably  by  the  floating  ices  with 
which  these  straits  are  infested.  One  of  them  suc- 
ceeded in  extricating  itself,  and  searched  for  some 
time  in  vain  for  its  lost  consort;  but  that  which  had 
on  board  the  gallant  leader  of  the  expedition  returned 
no  more,  and  no  trace  could  ever  be  obtained  of 
its  fate. 

When  these  gloomy  tidings  were  conveyed  to  Por- 
tugal, Miguel  Cortereal,  a  younger  brother,  animated 
with  the  most  tender  affection  to  Caspar,  and  with  a 
congenial  spirit  of  enterprise,  determined  to  depart 
in  search  of  him.  Early  next  spring,  having  equipped 
three  vessels,  he  sailed  on  the  10th  May,  1502,  from 
the  port  of  Lisbon.  On  arriving  at  the  numerous 
openings  into  Hudson's  Bay,  the  captains  adopted 
the  plan  of  separating,  and  each  exploring  a  particu- 
lar inlet.  This,  however,  in  some  respects  promising, 
was  an  imprudent  step ;  for  nothing  could  have  more 

N 


'V  }l 


i 


146 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


'    »    ,' 


conduced  to  mutual  safety  than  to  have  kept  close 
together,  and  aided  each  other  in  those  dreadful  exi- 
gencies to  which  this  navigation  is  liable.  It  proved 
a  fatal  measuie ;  two  of  the  vessels  indeed  met  and 
returned ;  but  Miguel  and  his  crew  shared  the  fate 
of  those  whom  they  had  gone  to  seek, — they  returned 
not ;  and  it  was  never  known  where  or  how  they 
perished.  The  survivors  reported  at  Lisbon  this 
heavy  aggravation  of  the  former  distress.  Fraternal 
affection  and  daring  courage  seem  to  have  throughout 
characterized  this  noble  race.  There  was  still  a 
third  brother,  Vasco  Eanes,  who  besought  of  the 
king  permission  to  search  for  his  lost  kindred  even 
amid  the  abysses  of  this  vast  ocean ;  but  to  this  pro- 
ject a  royal  veto  was  absolutely  interposed,  the  king 
declaring  that  it  was  too  much  to  have  lost  in  this 
cause  two  of  his  best  and  most  faithful  servants. 
After  a  commencement  so  gloomy,  and  such  gallant 
efforts  made  in  vain,  it  does  not  appear  that  the  pro- 
ject of  a  northern  passage  v^as  ever  revived  in  Por- 
tugal. 

Spain,  which  had  made  the  discovery  of  America, 
and  from  that  success  derived  so  much  glory  and 
wealth,  might  have  been  expected  to  take  a  peculiar 
interest  in  every  thing  connected  with  its  farther  ex- 
ploration. The  fact  however  appears  to  be,  that,  re- 
velling among  the  rich  plains  and  glittering  treasures 
of  Mexico  and  Peru,  she  felt  little  attraction  towards 
the  bleak  confines  of  the  northern  Pole.  Only  one 
very  early  voyage  is  mentioned,  that,  namely,  which 
was  undertaken,  in  1524,  by  Gomez,  with  a  view  of 
discovering  a  shorter  passage  to  the  Moluccas.  He 
is  said  to  have  brought  home  a  few  of  the  natives ; 
but  no  record  is  preserved  either  of  the  events  which 
attended  his  enterprise  or  even  of  the  coast  on  which 
he  arrived.  There  remains  of  it,  as  has  been  ob- 
served, only  a  jest,  and  one  so  indifferent  as  not  to 
be  wortli  repeating.  The  chief  exertions  of  Spain 
for  a  passage  were  made   from  Mexico  along  the 


(( 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


14 


north-west  coast  of  America ;  but  these  we  do  not 
propose  to  include  in  the  present  narrative. 

Britain  now  took  up  this  train  of  discovery,  and 
made  it  almost  exclusively  her  own.  Her  efforts  in- 
deed were  long  in  vain ;  the  barriers  of  nature  were 
too  mighty,  and  America,  stretching  her  boundaries 
into  regions  that  lie  beneath  the  perpetual  sway  of 
the  northern  tempest,  afforded  only  a  precarious  and 
doubtful  navigation.  England,  however,  has  since 
earned  high  glory  in  this  career ;  she  has  formed  in 
it  some  of  her  greatest  naval  commanders,  has  ^  pened 
new  channels  for  fishery,  fixed  the  limits  of  the 
western  continent,  and  explored  the  wide  seas  and 
large  islands  which  range  along  its  northern  boimdary. 

The  few  attempts  at  northern  discovery  made  in 
the  reign  of  Heniy  VIII.  were  all  in  this  direction. 
In  1527,  that  prince  was  so  far  wrought  upon  by  the 
representations  of  Mr.  Robert  Thorne  of  Bristol,  as. 
to  fit  out  two  handsome  vessels,  having  on  boaru 
"  divers  cunning  men,"  for  the  purpose  of  seeking 
and  describing  strange  regions.  The  chroniclers 
however.  Hall  and  Grafton,  who  narrate  this  under- 
taking, have  not  vouchsafed  any  report  upon  the  re- 
suit, — a  negligence  deeply  deplored  by  Hakluyt,  who, 
by  the  most  anxious  inquiry,  could  only  learn  from 
Sir  Martin  Frobisher  and  Mr.  Richard  Allen,  that  one 
of  the  ships  was  called  Dominus  Vob'scum,  and 
that  one  of  the  cunning  men  was  a  canon  of  St. 
Paul's.  His  name  is  unknown;  but  he  v'f«?:  a  great 
mathematician,  and  wealthy,  and  shared  the  voyage 
in  person.  Hakluyt  was  also  informed,  that  the  ex- 
pedition had  steered  first  to  the  north  of  Newfound- 
land, where  one  of  the  vessels,  adventuring  into  a 
deep  and  dangerous  gulf,  was  cast  away ;  the  other 
then  moved  southwaud,  and  having  made  observations 
on  Cape  Breton  and  other  coasts,  returned  to  Eng- 
land in  October. 

This  undertaking  was  followed,  nine  years  there- 
after,  by  another,  set  on  foot  by  Mr.  H.ore  of  London, 


:.>  H . 


i4d 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


a  wealthy  and  enterprising  individual,  who  easily  in- 
duced thirty  young  gentlemen  of  family  and  fortune, 
some  of  whom  were  from  the  Inns  of  Court,  to  em- 
bark along  with  him.  Hakluyt  had  here  equally  to 
lament  the  absence  of  written  records ;  but  he  found 
out  Mr.  Oliver  Dawbeny,  who  sailed  in  one  of  the 
vessels ;  and  having  learned  that  a  son  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Buts  of  Norfolk  had  been  of  the  party,  and  was 
still  alive,  he  rode  two  hundred  miles  for  the  purpose 
of  conversing  with  that  gentleman.  From  these 
sources  he  collected,  that  this  gay  band  of  volunteers, 
mustered  in  military  array  at  Gravesend,  and  having 
taken  the  sacrament,  went  on  board.  They  had  a 
long  and  tedious  voyage,  during  which  their  buoyant 
spirits  considerably  flagged.  At  the  end  of  two 
months  they  reached  Cape  Breton,  then  held  as 
part  of  the  West  Indies.  Thence,  in  fulfilment  of 
their  views,  they  endeavoured  to  shape  a  more 
northerly  course.  They  reached  Penguin  Island,  the 
same  probably  since  called  Birds'  Island,  abounding 
80  remarkably  in  fowls  as  large  as  a  goose,  and  even 
in  bears,  which  made  such  tolerable  food,  that  all 
their  wants  were  supplied.  Having  proceeded  to 
Newfoundland,  Dawbeny  one  day  called  on  his  com- 
rades to  come  and  view  a  boat  with  the  "  natural 
people  of  the  country,"  whom  they  had  earnestly  de- 
sired to  see.  A  barge  was  fitted  out  to  treat  with 
them ;  but  the  savages,  alarmed,  fled  precipitately, 
relinquishing  the  side  of  a  bear  which  they  had  been 
roasting;  and  all  attempts  to  overtake  them  were 
fruitless.  This  coast  appears  to  have  been  singularly 
barren  and  desolate.  Food,  it  was  said,  could  be  pro- 
cured oidy  by  purloining  from  the  nest  of  an  osprey 
the  fish  collected  for  her  young.  It  seems  strange 
that  they  should  have  remained  on  such  a  shore ;  but 
famine  soon  rose  to  such  a  pitch  as  to  drive  them  to 
a  most  frightflil  extremity.  Several  of  them  waylaid 
a  companion,  killed  him,  and  deposited  his  flesh  in  a 
secret  place,  to  which  they  repaired,  and  having 


1 


asilyin- 
fortune, 
,  to  em- 
ually  to 
le  found 
B  of  the 
r\f  Wil- 
Eind  was 
purpose 
n  these 
unteers, 
i  having 
y  had  a 
buoyant 
of  two 
held  as 
ment  of 
a  more 
and,  the 
ounding 
nd  even 
that  all 
sded  to 
lis  corn- 
natural 
stly  de- 
at  with 
itately, 
id  been 
n  were 
gularly 
be  pro- 
osprey 
itrange 
e;  but 
em  to 
aylaid 
h  in  a 
aving 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


149 


oasted  it  in  successive  portions,  eagerly  fed  upon  it 
An  accident  betrayed  this  dreadful  secret.  One  of 
the  company,  walking  with  another,  smelt  the  savour 
of  broiled  meat,  and  reproached  his  comrade  with 
keeping  a  private  hoard,  while  others  were  in  such 
fearful  want.  They  came  to  high  words,  when  the 
guilty  person  said,  "  Well  if  you  will  have  it,  it  is  a 

piece  of . 's  flesh."    This  being  reported  with 

horror  to  the  captain,  he  called  together  his  crew, 
and  solemnly  representing  to  them  the  dreadful  guilt 
they  had  incurred,  obtained  a  promise  to  desist.  The 
famine,  however,  becoming  always  more  cruel,  they 
were  a'  length  driven  to  a  systematic  mode  of  carry- 
ing on  the  same  horrible  course,  and  had  arranged 
the  casting  of  lots  to  decide  whose  life  should  be 
sacrificed  to  save  the  rest,  when  a  French  ship  ap- 
peared in  view.  Finding  it  to  be  both  in  good  order 
and  well  stored  with  provisions,  the  English  scrupled 
not  to  attack  and  seize  it,  recommending  the  ejected 
crew  to  the  ill-provided  bark  which  they  themselves 
had  left.  They  made  their  way  in  all  haste  home, 
which  they  reached  in  the  most  squalid  and  miserable 
state.  So  changed  was  young  Buts,  that  neither  Sir 
William  nor  his  mother  could  recognise  him,  till  he 
displayed  a  secret  mark  which  proved  him  to  be  their 
son.  Meantime  the  Frenchmen  arrived  in  their  own 
country,  and  raised  loud  complaints  against  the  cruel 
and  unwarrantable  manner  in  which  the  English  had 
treated  them.  Henry,  unable  to  deny  the  extreme 
hardship  of  their  case,  yet  moved  with  pity  towards 
his  own  subjects,  whom  he  was  unwilling  to  punish, 
liberally  paid  from  his  private  purse  the  full  extent 
of  the  loss. 

From  so  slight  a  narrative,  it  were  rash  to  form 
any  very  positive  conclusion;  yet  we  cannot  help 
observing,  that  there  is  little  appearance  of  the  ad- 
venturers having  gone  out  duly  prepared  for  theii 
^ard  and  arduous  undertaking,  and  little  display  0 

N2. 


i 

i 


■i 


i^ 


i  4  If* 


u4 


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i::i 


1 ' ' 

r 

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) 

1. 

'i 

i 

t 

1 

i 

'm 


i 


.50 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


nautical  skill,  prudence,  or  good  conduct,  in  the  whole 
of  the  expedition. 

After  so  disastrous  a  trial,  the  spirit  of  western 
discovery  slumbered.  The  great  zeal  kindled  in  the 
succeeding  reign  of  Edward  VI.  turned  wholly  to 
the  eastward,  producing  the  voyages  of  Sir  Hugh 
Willoughby  and  others,  which  have  been  recorded  in 
a  former  chapter.  It  was  otherwise  with  the  spirit 
of  enterprise  which  revived  under  Queen  Elizabeth. 
That  princess,  however,  though  abundantly  inclined 
to  favour  whatever  might  contribute  to  the  glory 
and  interests  of  her  kingdom,  did  not  oridnate  or 

Erompt  any  of  these  schemes.  Sir  Humphrey  Gil- 
ert  and  Mr.  Richard  Willis  wrote  treatises,  where 
learned  observations  were  combined  with  fanciful 
reasonings  and  erroneous  reports,  but  all  calculated 
to  influence  the  public  mind  in  support  of  such 
undertakings.  The  first  voyage  was  planned  and 
conducted  by  Martin  Frobisher,  an  officer  who  after- 
ward distinguished  himself  by  naval  exploits  in 
every  quarter  of  the  globe,  but  who  earned  his  early 
fame  by  contending  with  the  snows  and  tempests  of 
the  northern  deep.  Frobisher,  regarding  the  western 
passage  as  the  only  great  thing  still  left  undone 
in  the  world,  solicited  for  fifteen  years,  in  city  and 
court,  the  means  of  equipping  a  small  flotilla  capable 
of  accomplishing  this  important  object.  The  mer- 
cantile bodies  manifested  a  coldness  very  unlike  the 
zeal  displayed  on  former  occasions ;  but  some  lead- 
ing men  at  court  were  at  last  more  propitious,  and 
through  the  favour  of  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  Fro- 
bisher was  enabled,  in  the  year  1576,  to  equip  three 
vessels,  respectively  of  35, 30,  and  10  tons.  These 
little  barks,  or  rather  boats,  seemed  ill  fitted  for 
ploughing  the  Arctic  deep;  yet  Mr.  Scoresby  has 
observed,  that  such  vessels  are  better  calculated  for 
threading  their  way  through  channels  obstructed 
oy  ice,  and  even  for  withstanding  somewhat  rude 


v 


le  whole 

western 
id  in  the 
lolly  to 
ir  Hugh 
orded  in 
tie  spirit 
izabeth. 
inclined 
le  glory 
nate  or 
rey  Gil- 
s,  where 
fanciful 
Iculated 
of  such 
led  and 
10  after- 
loits  in 
lis  early 
pests  of 
western 
undone 
city  and 
capable 
he  mer- 
ilike  the 
ne  lead- 
>us,  and 
!k,  Fro- 
ip  three 
These 
ted  for 
iby  has 
ited  for 
(tructed 
u  rude 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


151 


fihocks  from  it,  than  larger  and  more  unwieldy 
fabrics. 

Frobisher,  on  the  8th  June,  dropped  down  from 
Deptford  to  Greenwich,  where  the  court  then  resided, 
and,  in  passing  by  the  palace,  fired  a  round  in  his 
best  style.  The  queen  looked  from  the  windows, 
cheering  and  waving  her  hand,  and  Secretary  Wal- 
singham  came  on  board  the  vessels,  wished  them 
success,  and  exhorted  the  crews  to  good  order  and 
obedience.  On  the  12th  the  expedition  passed  Til- 
bury Hope,  and  having  on  the  19th  reached  Yar- 
mouth, stood  thence  out  to  sea.  On  the  26th  Fro- 
bisher saw  before  him  Swinborne  (Sumburgh)  Head, 
the  bold  southern  promontory  of  Shetland,  while  he 
had  Fair  Isle  to  the  north-west.  In  the  ocean-navi- 
gation which  followed,  he  has  only  recorded  his  dis- 
tances, latitudes,  and  directions.  On  the  11th  July 
he  saw  a  range  of  awful  and  precipitous  summits, 
which,  even  in  the  height  of  summer,  were  all  white 
with  snow.  He  concluded  this  coast  to  be  the  Fries- 
land  of  Zeno,  but  in  fact  it  was  the  southern  point 
of  Greenland  near  Cape  Farewell.  A  boat  put  out 
towards  the  coast,  but  found  it  so  barred  with  ice 
and  obscured  by  fog,  that  it  was  impossible  to  land. 
The  navigators  now  steered  westward,  suffering  se- 
verely from  northerly  gales.  On  the  14th  the  wind 
shattered  their  foreyard,  and  bore  the  mizenmast 
overboard;  and  on  the  IGth  the  topmast  with  its  sail 
broke  off,  and  fell  into  the  sea.  They  continued  to 
press  on ;  and  upon  the  22d  a  thick  mist  dispersing, 
showed  a  long  range  of  coast,  judged  to  be  Labra- 
dor. Ice,  however,  formed  an  impassable  barriei 
between  them  and  the  land,  while  the  line  went  down 
100  fathoms  without  touching  ground.  The  current 
was  very  strong,  but,  from  the  impossibility  of  com- 
ing to  anchor,  could  not  be  measured ;  yet  it  seemed 
not  less  than  a  league  and  a  half  an  hour.  On  the 
1st  August  the  discoveiers  approached  to  make  ob- 
servations on  a  large  island  of  ice,  which,  aa  they 


f  ^ 


I 


« 


'  '1, 


If 


t , 


'i 


\  J 


ii 


ii 


152 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


!'|. 


I    I 


were  viewing  it,  went  to  pieces,  and  fell  into  the  sea 
with  a  tremendous  crash. 

On  the  18th  they  reached  a  more  accessible  coast 
and  became  desirous  to  ascertain  if  it  was  inhabited. 
Seeing  seven  boats  plying  along  the  beach,  they  sent 
out  one  of  their  own,  the  crew  of  which,  by  holding 
up  a  white  cloth,  induced  a  native  canoe  to  approach; 
but,  on  seeing  the  ship,  the  people  immediately  turned 
back.  Frobisher  then  went  on  shore,  and,  by  the 
distribution  of  several  little  presents,  enticed  one  of 
them  to  come  on  board.  *^rhis  person,  being  well 
treated  with  meat  and  drink,  made  on  his  return  so 
favourable  a  report,  that  nineteen  followed  his  ex- 
ample. The  sailors  had  then  a  full  opportunity  of 
observing  this  Esquimaux  race.  They  are  described 
as  "like  to  Tartars,  with  long  black  hair,  broad  faces, 
and  flat  noses,  having  boats  of  seal-skin,  with  a  keel 
of  wood  within  the  skin."  Next  day  they  appeared 
more  siiy,  and  with  some  difficulty  one  of  them,  by 
the  allurement  of  a  bell,  was  drawn  on  board.  Fro- 
bisher, havmg  no  intention  to  detain  him,  sent  a  boat 
with  five  men  to  put  him  on  shore  at  the  angle  of  a 
rock ;  but  these,  urged  by  curiosity  and  blinded  by 
false  confidence,  went  on  to  join  the  main  body  of 
the  natives — a  fatal  step;  they  were  never  allowed 
to  return.  Frobisher  spent  two  days  firing  guns, 
and  making  inquiries  at  every  point,  but  without 
success. 

On  the  26th  August,  without  any  very  particular 
reason  assigned,  our  navigator  weighed  for  home ; 
when  passing  by  Greenland  and  Iceland,  and  coming 
in  view  of  Orkney,  the  Texel,  and  Yarmouth,  he 
reached  Harwich  in  the  beginning  of  October. 

Frobisher  had  made  little  progress  towards  a  west- 
ern passage ;  yet,  having  with  such  slender  means 
penetrated  thus  far,  and  discovered  a  new  country, 
dignified  with  the  title  of  Meta  Incognita,  his  voyage 
was  considered  highly  creditable,  and  as  affording 
good  promise  for  the  future.    The  public  interest 


the  sea 

3  coast 
labited. 
Ley  sent 
holding 
proach; 
^  turned 
by  the 
one  of 
ig  well 
stum  so 
his  ex- 
inity  of 
iscribed 
d  faces, 
L  a  keel 
ppeared 
lem,  by 
.  Fro- 
;  a  boat 
le  of  a 
ded  by 
>ody  of 
illowed 
guns, 
vithout 

rticular 
home; 
oming 
th,  he 

I  west- 
means 
)untry, 
voyage 
brding 
iterest 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


153 


was  excited  by  another  circumstance  of  a  very  illu 
sory  nature.  All  his  friends  importuned  him  to  give 
them  something  or  other  which  had  come  from  Meta 
Incognita.  At  a  loss  to  satisfy  this  avidity,  he  cast 
his  eyes  on  a  large  stone  which,  from  its  glittering 
appearance,  he  had  been  induced  to  take  on  board. 
He  broke  it  into  pieces,  and  distributed  them  among 
the  circle  of  his  acquaintances.  One  portion  was 
received  by  a  lady,  who  happened  to  drop  it  into  the 
fire,  where,  after  burning  for  some  time,  it  appeared 
to  glitter  like  gold.  Being  thereupon  carried  before 
the  goldsmiths,  they  were  so  ignorant,  or  so  misled 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  age,  as  to  pronounce  it  a 
valuable  ore  of  the  most  precious  of  metals.  This 
false  decision  threw  all  England  into  a  ferment  of 
joy.  There  was  no  difficulty  now  in  equipping  an 
expedition.  The  queen  contributed  the  ship  Ayde 
of  180  tons,  besides  means  for  enabling  Frobisher 
to  lit  out  two  other  vessels,  the  Michael  and  Ga 
briel,  of  30  tons  each.  Being  invited  to  visit  the 
queen  at  Lord  Warwick's  seat  in  Essex,  he  re- 
ceived her  majesty's  hand  to  kiss,  with  many  gracious 
expressions. 

Frobisher  sailed  on  the  26th  May,  1577,  with  such 
a  "  merrie  wind,"  that  on  the  8th  June  he  touched 
at  the  Orkneys  for  fresh  water,  allowing  his  gentle- 
men and  soldiers  to  go  on  shore  for  recreation.  The 
poor  inhabitants,  having,  it  is  probable,  suffered  from 
the  inroads  of  pirates,  fled  from  their  houses  with 
cries  and  shrieks,  but  were  soon,  by  courteous  treat- 
ment, induced  to  return.  Their  accommodations 
were  found  truly  miserable ;  they  had  no  vent  for 
smoke,  but  a  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  house,  on  one 
side  of  which  dwelt  the  family,  and  on  the  other  the 
cattle, — oatcakes  and  ewe-milk  their  only  food.  The 
English  now  entered  on  their  perilous  voyage  through 
the  northern  ocean,  during  which  they  were  much 
cheered  with  the  perpetual  light,  which  allowed 
them  at  all  hours  to  read  or  otherwise  amuse  them- 


*ri 


f 


f 


!■.  i 


t 


1  it-  i 


!* 


It ' 


'         i! 


154 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


selves ;  which  is  obsen^ed  to  be  peculiarly  cheering 
to  such  as  "  wander  in  unknown  seas  and  long  navi- 
gations, where  both  the  winds  and  raging  surges  do 
pass  their  common  course."  They  were  surprised 
to  see  large  fir-trees,  torn  up  by  the  roots,  floating  in 
the  midst  of  the  ocean.  On  the  4th  of  July  Friesland 
presented  its  awful  front,  consisting  of  a  range  of 
inaccessible  mountains  entirely  covered  with  snow, 
unless  where,  from  the  extreme  steepness  of  the 
cliffs,  it  had  broken  off  and  fallen  into  the  sea. 
During  four  days'  sail,  they  saw,  whenever  the  thick 
fogs  for  a  moment  dispersed,  a  similarly  dreary  coast, 
without  any  landing-place,  and  'uitl*out  a  sign  of 
human  habitation  or  even  of  life ;  yet  little  birds,  ap- 
parently bewildered  amid  the  mist,  came  and  alighted 
on  board,  and  gave  the  impression  that  there  might 
be  a  milder  region  in  the  interior.  But  the  inexpe- 
rienced part  of  the  crew  were  especially  struck  by 
the  islands  of  ice,  rising  thirty  or  forty  fathoms  above 
the  water,  and  rooted  at  the  bottom  of  seas  which 
the  line  could  not  fathom. 

Frobisher  now  sailed  across  to  Labrador,  and 
touched  at  the  sound  which  received  his  name.  The 
coast,  however,  was  found  guarded  by  a  mighty  wall 
of  ice,  which  the  ships  coidd  not  penetrate ;  but  the 
captain,  with  two  of  his  boats,  worked  his  way  into 
the  strait,  and  began  to  survey  the  country  and  people. 
So  crude  were  then  the  ideas  respecting  the  geogra- 
phy of  these  regions,  that  they  imagined  the  coast 
on  their  left  to  be  America,  and  that  on  their  right 
Asia.  Landing  on  the  American  side  they  scrambled 
to  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  erected  a  column,  which, 
after  the  great  patron  of  the  expedition,  was  called 
Mount  Warwick.  On  their  return,  cries  were  heard 
like  the  lowing  of  bulls,  and  a  large  body  of  natives 
ran  up  to  them  in  a  very  gay  and  cordial  manner. 
They  began  an  eager  traffic  for  the  trifling  ornaments 
displayed  by  their  visiters,  yet  declined  every  invita- 
tion to  go  on  board,  while  the  English  on  their  part 


1-; 


it 


jenng 

navi- 
es do 
prised 
ing  in 
3sland 
ige  of 
snow, 
of  the  ;• 
B  sea. 
3  tWck 
'  coast, 
ign  of 
ds,  ap- 
lighted 

might 
nexpe- 
ack  by 
5  above 

which 

Dr,  and 
The 
tywall 
but  the 
ay  into 
people, 
eogra- 
coast 
right 
ambled 
which, 
called 
heard 
latives 
lanner. 
aments 
invita- 
ir  part 


r 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


155 


did  not  choose  to  accede  to  their  overtures  of  going 
into  the  country.  Frobisher  and  a  companion,  meet- 
ing two  of  the  natives  apart,  rashly  seized  and  began 
dragging  them  to  the  boats,  hoping  there  to  gain  their 
friendship  by  presents  and  courtesy.  On  the  slippery 
ground,  however,  their  feet  gave  way,  the  Esqui- 
maux broke  loose,  and  found  behind  a  rock  their 
bows  and  arrows,  which  they  began  to  discharge 
with  great  fury.  Frobisher  and  his  comrade,  seized 
with  a  panic  scarcely  ju'tified  by  two  such  miserable 
assailants,  fled  full  speed,  and  the  captain  reached 
the  boat  with  an  arrow  sticking  in  his  leg.  The 
crew,  imagining  that  something  truly  serious  must 
have  driven  back  their  commander  in  such  discom- 
fiture, gave  the  alarm,  and  ran  to  the  rescue.  The 
two  barbarians  instantly  fled ;  but  Nicholas  Conger, 
a  stout  fellow,  servant  to  Lord  Warwick,  seized  one 
of  them  and  dragged  him  into  the  boat. 

Meantime  the  ships  outside  were  involved  in  a 
dreadful  tempest,  being  tossed  amid  those  tremen- 
dous ice-islands,  the  least  of  which  would  have  been 
sufficient  to  have  crushed  them  into  a  thousand  pieces. 
To  avoid  dangers  which  so  closely  beset  them,  they 
were  obliged  to  tack  fourteen  times  in  four  hours ; 
but  with  the  benefit  of  the  perpetual  light,  the  skill 
of  their  steersman,  and  the  aid  of  Providence,  they 
weathered  the  tempest,  without  the  necessity  of 
driving  out  to  sea  and  abandoning  the  boats.  On 
the  19th,  Frobisher  came  out  with  a  large  store  of 
glittering  stone ;  upon  which,  says  Dionise  Little, 
"  we  were  all  rapt  with  joy,  forgetting  both  where 
we  were  and  what  we  had  suffered.  Behold,"  says 
he,  "  the  glory  of  man, — to-night  looking  for  death, 
to-morrow  devising  how  to  satisfy  his  greedy  appe- 
tite with  gold." 

A  north-west  gale  now  sprang  up ;  before  which, 
like  magic,  the  mighty  barriers  of  ice  by  which  the 
ships  had  been  shut  out  melted  away.  They  had 
now  a  broad  and  open  passage  by  which  they  enterfed 


« 


r 


y 


I     / 


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I    Ml 


I  ,'. ; 


ium 


.  (. 


,« 

■i'; 


m,:-^*. 


r  f""fi' 


156 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


l'!'     J 


fl  I 


i 


:    i 


"■;;■ 


)!  'Y 


the  Sound,  which,  in  the  conception  of  the  English, 
was  a  strait  leading  into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  a 
run  of  upwards  of  thirty  leagues  they  landed  at  differ- 
ent points,  and,  mounting  to  the  tops  of  hills,  took 
possession  of  the  country,  with  solemn  and  sacred 
ceremonies,  in  name  of  her  majesty.  Having  found 
in  one  place  a  bridle  of  singular  construction,  they 
examined  their  captive  upon  it,  who  thereupon  sei-^ed 
a  dog,  attached  the  bridle,  yoked  the  animal  in  a 
sledge,  and  exliibited  the  Esquimaux  mode  of  driving. 
This  person  admitted  knowledge  respecting  the  five 
men  captured  in  the  preceding  year,  but  repelled 
most  strenuously  the  signs  by  which  the  English  in- 
timated their  belief  that  they  had  been  killed  and 
eaten.  However,  a  dark  source  of  suspicion  was 
soon  opened;  for  some  boats  of  the  natives  were 
found,  which,  along  with  bones  of  dogs,  flesh  of  un- 
known animals,  and  other  strange  things,  contained 
an  English  canvass  doublet,  a  shirt,  a  girdle,  three 
shoes  for  contrary  feet, — apparel  which,  beyond  all 
doubt,  belonged  to  their  countrymen  lost  in  the  pre- 
ceding year.  Anxiously  hoping  to  recover  them,  they 
left  a  letter  in  the  boat,  and  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  with 
which  to  return  an  answer.  Still  more  vigorous  mea- 
sures were  determined  upon  to  r^'^over  or  avenge 
them.  A  party  of  forty,  under  onarles  Jackman, 
marched  inland  to  take  the  natives  in  the  rear,  and 
drive  them  upon  the  coast,  where  Frobisher  with  his 
boats  waited  to  intercept  them.  The  wretches  had 
removed  their  tents  into  the  interior;  but  the  invaders, 
after  marching  over  several  mountains,  descried  an- 
other cluster  of  huts,  supposed  at  first  to  belong  to  a 
different  party ;  but  the  agitation  and  alarm  visible 
the  instant  they  were  observed,  showed  that  this  was 
the  guilty  band.  The  Esquimaux,  hastening  to  their 
canoes,  pushed  out  full  speed  to  sea ;  and  they  rowed 
with  a  rapidity  which  would  have  baffled  all  pursuit, 
had  not  Frobisher  with  his  boats  held  the  entrance 
of  the  Sound  and  there  awaited  them.    As  soon  as 


))i  jljii  ] 


Inglish, 
In  a 
t  differ- 
s,  took 
sacred 
^  found 
n,  they 
L  sej-^ed 
al  in  a 
iriving. 
the  five 
epelled 
[lish  in- 
led  and 
on  was 
IS  were 
I  of  un- 
ntained 
e,  three 
rond  all 
ihe  pre- 
m,  they 
er,  with 
us  mea- 
avengc 
ickman, 
ar,  and 
^ith  his 
les  had 
ivaders, 
ied  an- 
)ng  to  a 
visible 
;his  was 
to  their 
y  rowed 
pursuit, 
jntrance 
soon  as 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


157 


they  saw  themselves  thus  beset,  they  landed  among 
the  rocks,  abandoning  their  skiffs,  which  they  hoped 
to  render  useless  by  breaking  the  oars.  ITie  English 
rushed  on  with  alacrity  to  the  assault ;  but  the  na- 
tives, stationed  on  the  rocks,  resisted  the  landing, 
and  stood  their  ground  with  the  most  savage  and 
desperate  valour.  Overwhelmed  with  clouds  of 
arrows,  they  picked  them  up,  plucking  them  even 
out  of  their  bodies,  and  returned  them  with  fury. 
On  feeling  themselves  mortally  wounded,  they 
plunged  from  the  rocks  into  the  sea,  lest  they  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  At  length, 
completely  worsted,  and  having  lost  five  or  six  of 
their  number,  they  sprang  up  among  the  cliffs  and 
eluded  pursuit.  There  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
assailants  only  two  females,  who  caused  some  specu- 
lation. One  was  stricken  in  years,  and  presented  a 
visage  so  singularly  hideous  as  suggested  to  many  no 
less  a  suspicion  than  that  the  great  enemy  of  man- 
kind stood  before  them  in  person.  This  impression 
gaining  ground,  it  was  resolved  to  apply  a  test  then 
considered  infallible.  Her  buskins  were  plucked  off, 
to  ascertain  if  she  presented  that  peculiar  stucture 
of  the  lower  extremities  supposed  to  characterize 
the  dread  foe  of  the  human  race.  As  this  essential 
character  was  found  wanting,  it  was  merely  deter- 
mined, by  liberating  her,  to  deliver  their  eyes  from 
so  distressing  a  spectacle.  The  other  female  was 
young,  with  a  child  in  her  arms;  and  being,  from 
her  peculiar  costume,  mistaken  for  a  man,  had  been 
fired  at  and  the  child  wounded.  It  was  in  vain  to 
apply  remedies ;  she  licked  off  with  her  tongue  the 
dressings  and  salves,  and  cured  it  in  her  own  way. 
She  and  the  male  captive  formerly  taken  looked 
stran.::9  at  first,  but,  on  becoming  intimate,  found  much 
comfort  in  each  other's  society,  and  showed  a  strong 
mutual  attachment. 

Frobisher  still  cherished  hopes  oi  recovering  liis 
men.    A  large  party  appearing  on  the  top  of  a  hill, 

O 


K  I 


y 


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1 

"7          "     " 

■Ml 

'V^ 

1     ' 

li 

vi 

■ 

E';l  » 


if  I 
i 


ip 


■ 


I 

■1 


ij  4 


■f 


f^i^i 


158 


SARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


signs  were  made  of  a  desire  for  mutual  accommoda- 
tion.   A  few  of  them  advanced,  and  were  introduced 
to  the  captives.    The  parties  were  deeply  affected, 
and  spent  some  time  without  uttering  a  word ;  tears 
then  flowed ;  and  when  they  at  last  found  speech,  it 
was  in  tones  of  tenderness  and  regret,  which  pre- 
possessed the  English  much  in  their  favour.    Fro- 
bisher  now  came  forward,  and  propounded,  that  on 
condition  of  restoring  his  five  men,  they  should  re- 
ceive back  their  own  captives,  with  the  addition  of 
sundry  of  those  little  gifts  and  presents  on  which  they 
set  the  highest  value.    This  they  promised,  and  also 
to  convey  a  letter  to  the  prisoners.    Doubtless  by 
thift!  time  the  captives  lived  no  longer,  and  the  natives 
had  no  means  of  amicably  redeeming  their  pledge  ; 
but  they  determined,  by  force  or  stratagem,  to  effect 
their  purpose.     Three  men  appeared  holding  up  flags 
of  bladder,  inviting  the  invaders  to  approach;  but  the 
latter,  who  saw  the  heads  of  others  peeping  from 
behind  the  rocks,  resolved  to  proceed  with  the  utmost 
caution.    The  natives  began  by  placing  in  view  large 
pieces  of  excellent  meat ;  and  when  their  enemy  could 
not  be  caught  by  that  bait,  a  man  advanced  very  close, 
feigning  lameness,  and  seeming  to  offer  himself  an 
easy  prey.    Frobisher  allowed  a  shot  to  be  fired,  by 
which  the  person  was  cured  at  once,  and  took  to  his 
heels.    Seeing  all  their  artifices  fail,  the  barbarians 
determined  upon  main  force,  and  pouring  down  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred,  discharged  their  arrows 
with  the  utmost  fury.    They  even  followed  a  con- 
siderable way  along  the  coast,  regardless  of  the 
English  shot ;  but  the  vessels  meanwhile  were  too 
distant  from  the  shore  to  suffer  the  slightest  annoy- 
ance.   Several  of  the  seamen  importuned  Frobisher 
to  allow  them  to  land  and  attack ;  but  this  he  refused, 
as  only  calculated  to  divert  them  from  the  main 
object,  and  to  cause  useless  bloodshed. 

The  21st  of  August  had  now  arrived,  the  ice  was 
beginning  to  form  around  the  ships,  an<l,  though  little 


ommoda- 
itroduced 
affected, 
rd;  tears 
speech,  it 
tiich  pre- 
ir,  Fro- 
l,  that  on 
lould  re- 
Idition  of 
hich  they 
,  and  also 
t)tless  by 
le  natives 
■  pledge ; 
,  to  effect 
r  up  flags 
;  but  the 
ing  from 
le  utmost 
iew  large 
my  could 
iry  close, 
mself  an 
fired,  by 
ok  to  his 
irbarians 
down  to 
r  arrows 
i  a  con- 
s  of  the 
tvere  too 
t  annoy- 
'robisher 
refused, 
he  main 

ice  was 
Ligh  little 


EAKLY  NORTH-WEST    VOYAGES. 


159 


progress  had  been  made  towards  China,  the  seamen 
had  put  on  board  two  hundred  tons  of  the  precious 
ore.  They  therefore  mounted  the  highest  hill,  fired 
a  volley  in  honour  of  the  Countess  of  Warwick,  and 
made  their  way  home. 

Notwithstanding  the  vicissitudes  which  had  marked 
this  voyage,  its  arrival  was  hailed  with  the  utmost 
exultation.  Enthusiasm  and  hope,  both  with  the 
queen  and  the  nation,  rose  higher  than  e\or.  The 
delusion  of  the  golden  ore  continued  in  full  force,  and 
caused  those  desolate  shores  to  be  regarded  as 
another  Peru.  Special  commissioners,  men  of  judg- 
ment, art,  and  skill,  were  named  by  her  majesty  to 
ascertain  both  the  quality  of  the  ore  and  the  pros- 
pects of  the  voyage  to  India.  After  due  inquiry,  a 
most  favourable  report  was  made  on  both  subjects, 
and  it  was  recommended  not  only  that  a  new  expe- 
dition on  a  great  scale  should  be  fitted  out,  but  a 
colony  established  on  that  remote  coast,  who  might 
at  once  be  placed  in  full  possession  of  its  treasures, 
and  be  on  the  watch  for  every  opportunity  of  farther 
discovery.  To  brave  the  winter  of  the  Polar  world 
was  a  novel  and  daring  enterprise ;  yet  such  was  then 
the  national  spirit,  that  the  appointed  number  of  a 
hundred  was  quickly  filled  up.  There  were  forty 
mariners,  thirty  miners,  and  thirty  soldiers,  in  which 
last  number  were  oddly  included,  not  only  gentlemen, 
but  gold-finers,  bakers,  and  carpenters.  Materials 
were  sent  on  board  the  vessels,  which,  on  being  put 
together,  might  be  converted  into  a  fort  or  house. 
The  squadron  fitted  out  was  the  largest  that  had  yet 
adventured  to  plough  the  northern  deep.  It  consisted 
of  fifteen  vessels,  furnished  by  various  ports,  espe- 
cially by  those  of  the  west,  and  the  rendezvous  took 
place  at  Harwich  on  the  27th  May,  1578,  whence  they 
sailed  on  the  31st.  The  captains  waited  on  the 
queen  at  Greenwich,  and  were  personally  addressed 
by  her  in  the  most  gracious  manner ;  Frobisher  re- 
ceiving a  chain  of  gold,  and  the  honour  of  kissing 
her  maj  3sty's  hand  . 


■.'J 


1:1' 


|M 


'Iff 


m 


i 


160 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


I     >i 


-  )      5 


Occasion  was  formerly  taken  to  observe,  thfi*  ex- 
peditions got  up  on  the  greatest  scale,  and  with  the 
most  ample  means,  usually  proved  the  most  unfortu- 
nate. A  large  and  encumbered  fleet  was  ill  calculated 
to  steer  through  the  ice-entangled  straits,  and  amid 
the  mighty  mountains  which  were  floating  over  the 
northern  deep.  On  reaching  the  Queen's  Foreland, 
at  the  opening  of  Frobisher's  Strait,  the  navigators 
found  it  frozen  over  from  side  to  side,  and  barred,  as 
it  were,  with  successive  walls,  mountains,  and  bul- 
warks. A  strong  easterly  wind  had  driven  numerous 
icebergs  upon  the  coast,  and  hence  the  navigation 
amid  these  huge  moving  bodies  soon  became  most 
perilous.  The  Dennis,  a  large  vessel,  on  board  of 
which  was  part  of  the  projected  house,  received  such 
a  tremendous  blow  from  a  mountain  of  ice,  that  it 
went  down  instantly,  though  the  other  ships,  hastening 
to  its  aid,  succeeded  in  saving  the  men.  This  specta- 
cle struck  panic  into  the  other  crews,  who  felt  that 
the  same  fate  might  next  moment  be  their  own.  The 
danger  was  much  augmented  when  the  gale  increased 
to  a  tempest,  and  the  icy  masses,  tossing  in  every 
direction,  struck  furiously  against  the  sides  of  the 
vessels.  Invention  was  now  variously  at  work  to 
find  means  of  safety.  Some  moored  themselves  to 
these  floating  islands,  and  being  carried  about  along 
with  them,  escaped  the  outrageous  blows  which  they 
must  otherwise  have  encountered.  Others  held  sus- 
pended by  the  sides  of  the  ship  oars,  planks,  pikes, 
poles,  every  thing  by  which  the  violence  of  the  shocks 
might  be  broken ;  yet  the  ice,  "  aided  by  the  surging 
of  the  sea  and  billow,"  was  seen  to  break  in  pieces 
Dlanks  three  inches  thick.  Frobisher  considers  it  as 
redounding  highly  to  the  glory  of  his  poor  miners 
and  landsmen,  wholly  unused  to  such  a  scene,  that 
they  faced  with  heroism  the  assembled  dangers  that 
oe  sieged  them  round.  "  At  length,  it  pleased  God 
with  his  eyes  of  mercy  to  look  down  from  heaven," 
—a  brisk  south-west  wind  dispersed  the  ice,  and 
gave  them  an  open  sea  through  which  to  navigate. 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


161 


After  a  few  days  spent  in  repairing  the  vessels,  and 
stopping  up  the  leaks,  Frobisher  bent  afresh  all  his 
efforts  to  penetrate  inward  to  the  spot  where  he  was 
to  found  his  colony.  After  considerable  effort,  he 
made  his  way  into  the  strait,  when  he  discovered  that 
he  was  sailing  between  two  coasts;  but  amid  the 
gloomy  mists,  and  the  thick  snow  which  fell  in  this 
northern  midsummer,  nothing  could  be  distinctly 
seen.  As,  however,  clear  intervals  occasionally  oc- 
curred, affording  partial  glimpses  of  the  land,  the 
surmise  arose,  that  this  was  not  the  shore  along 
which  they  had  formerly  sailed.  Frobisher  would 
not  listen  to  a  suggestion  which  would  have  con- 
victed him  of  having  thrown  away  much  of  his  time 
and  labour.  He  still  pressed  onward.  Once  the 
mariners  imagined  they  saw  Mount  Warwick,  but 
were  soon  undeceived.  At  length,  Christopher  Hall, 
chief  pilot,  stood  up  and  declared,  in  hearing  of  all 
the  crew,  that  he  never  saw  this  coast  before.  Fro- 
bisher still  persevered,  sailing  along  a  country  more 
populous, more  verdant,  and  better  stocked  with  birds, 
than  the  one  formerly  visited.  In  fact,  this  was  pro- 
bably the  main  entrance  into  Hudson's  Bay,  by  con- 
tinuing in  which  he  would  have  made  the  most  impor- 
tant discoveries.  But  all  his  ideas  of  mineral  wealth 
and  successful  passage  were  associated  with  the  old 
strait ;  and,  on  being  obliged  to  own  that  this  was  a 
different  one,  he  turned  back  to  the  open  sea.  In  this 
retreat  the  fleet  was  so  involved  in  fogs  and  violent 
currents,  and  so  beset  with  rocks  and  islands,  that 
the  sailors  considered  it  onlyby  a  special  interposition 
of  Providence  that  they  were  brought  out  in  safety. 
When  they  had  reached  the  open  sea,  and  arrived  at 
the  mouth  of  the  desired  strait,  it  was  almost  as 
difiicult  to  find  an  entrance.  However,  Frobisher 
was  constantly  on  the  watch,  and  wherever  there 
appeared  any  opening,  it  is  said  "  he  got  in  at  one 
gap  and  out  at  another,"  till  at  length  he  reached  his 
purposed  haven  in  the  depths  of  the  north.    Before 

02 


I! 


■    f 


•J    •       ] 


1  '  1 


li 


•■  )   I 


I       ! 


,tl 


162 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


i  . 

1]     ' 


•I 


^i 


I 


m 


i  \  >i 


'i 


f 


! 
( 


-  y 


however,  the  crews  were  completely  landed  and  es- 
tablished, the  9th  of  August  had  come,  thick  snows 
were  falling,  and  it  behooved  them  to  hold  a  solemn 
consultation  as  to  the  prospects  of  the  projected 
colony.  There  remained  of  the  house  only  the  ma- 
terials of  the  south  and  east  sides ;  the  rest  had  either 
gone  down  in  the  Dennis,  or  had  been  shattered  into 
fragments  while  suspended  from  the  sides  of  the 
ships  to  meet  the  strokes  Oi  the  ice.  Great  part  of 
the  bread  had  been  spoiled,  and  the  liquors  had  sus- 
tained a  woful  leakage  ;  in  short  there  was  no  ade- 
quate provision  for  a  hundred  men  during  a  whole 
year.  Captain  Fenton  of  the  Judith  indeed  sug-gested, 
that  what  remained  of  the  house  might  be  formed 
into  a  hut  for  sixty  men,  with  whom  he  undertook  to 
brave  the  northern  winter ;  but  the  carpenters,  being 
consulted,  declared  that  such  a  structure  could  not 
be  erected  in  less  than  two  months,  while  their 
utmost  possible  stay  would  be  twenty-six  days. 
Renouncing  the  idea  of  settlement,  Frobisher  still 
asked  his  captains  whether  they  might  not,  during 
the  short  remaining  interval,  attempt  some  discovery 
to  throw  a  redeeming  lustre  on  this  luckless  voyage ; 
but,  in  reply,  they  urged  the  advanced  season,  the 
symptoms  of  winter  already  approaching,  and  the 
danger  of  being  enclosed  in  these  narrow  inlets, 
where  they  would  be  in  the  most  imminent  danger 
of  perishing ; — in  short,  that  nothing  was  now  to  be 
thought  of  but  a  speedy  return  homeward.  This 
was  effected,  not  without  the  dispersion  of  the  fleet, 
and  considerable  damage  to  some  of  the  vessels. 

These  voyages  contain  notices  of  the  country  and 
people,  which  strikingly  agree  with  those  collected 
by  recent  navigators.  This  Meta  Incognita,  which 
jicludes  only  the  countries  bordering  upon  the  en- 
Irances  of  Hudson's  Bay,  is  considered  as  a  cluster 
of  large  islands  lying  thick  together,  and  separated 
6y  narrow  inlets, — an  idea,  perhaps,  not  so  unfounded 
as  was  for  some  time  supposed.    These  provinces 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


163 


consist  of  mountains  and  high  lands  covered  with 
snow,  even  in  the  midst  of  summer;  and  it  appeared 
very  surprising  to  find  in  latitude  60°  and  61°  a  cold 
much  more  intense  than  at  the  North  Cape  and  Ward- 
huys  in  latitude  72°.  The  people  are  described  as 
of  ripe-olive  complexion,  with  long  black  hair,  broad 
'aces,  and  flat  noses,  much  resembling  Tartars,  or, 
more  strictly,  Samoiedes,  to  whom,  according  to  the 
best  information  Frobisher  could  obtain,  they  were 
also  similar  in  their  habits  of  life.  The  land  could 
scarcely  yield  either  grain  or  fruit,  and  the  people 
made  no  attempt  to  cultivate  them,  eating  merely 
shrubs  and  grass,  "even  as  our  kine  do;"  or,  as 
Settle  expresses  it,  "  such  grass  as  the  country  pro- 
duceth  they  pluck  up  and  eat,  not  daintily  or  sallad- 
wise,  but  like  brute  beasts  devouring  the  same."  In 
other  respects,  he  observes,  they  seek  "by  their 
hunting,  fishing,  and  fowling,  to  satisfy  their  greedy 
paunches,  which  is  their  only  glory."  They  use 
neither  seat,  table,  nor  cloth ;  but  "  when  they  are 
imbrued  with  blood,  knuckle  deep,  they  use  their 
tongues  as  apt  instruments  to  lick  them  clean." 
From  the  manner  in  which,  to  the  great  disgust  of 
the  beholders,  they  devoured  their  meat  in  the  most 
loathsome  and  putrid  state,  without  any  cookery 
or  preparation,  an  inference  is  somewhat  rashly 
drawn,  that  they  would  not  make  the  least  hesita- 
tion in  partaking  of  human  flesh.  Frobisher  could 
observe  only  their  summer-houses,  which  are  de- 
scribed as  poor  caves,  like  ovens,  having  holes  like 
a  fox  or  coney  burrow,  formed  of  pieces  of  whalebone 
meeting  at  top,  and  covered  with  seal-skin,  and  in 
the  inside  of  which,  by  strewing  moss,  they  formed 
nests  to  sleep  on.  At  the  same  time  they  were  found 
to  be  sharp-witted,  and  showed,  by  signs,  great  readi- 
ness both  to  understand  and  reply  to  the  English. 
If  they  could  give  no  information  on  any  subject, 
they  shut  their  eyes ;  if  they  did  not  comprehend 
what  wa^'  said  to  them,  they  stopped  their  ears.  They 


lilf 


k 

f  ^ 

1 

! 

■  i 

,    i 

.  i 

1    i 

U] 


.  M 


'  (      \  i,i 


164 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


i  .i 


H  .    \ 


k 


I    >■ 


•     i 


vi 


took  the  greatest  delight  in  music ;  repeating  and 
keeping  time  to  any  tune  with  voice,  head,  hand,  and 
foot.  Their  darts,  arrows,  and  other  weapons  were 
skilfully  contrived,  and  used  with  a  courage  amount- 
ing even  to  desperation,  of  which  repeated  instances 
have  been  given.    Their  little  boats  of  skin  (kayak) 


were  moved  by  one  oar,  with  a  swiftness  which  no 
English  sailor  could  match.  Their  astonishment 
at  European  objects  appeared  particularly  when 
one  of  them  was  shown  his  visage  in  a  mirror. 
"  He  was  upon  the  sudden  much  amazed  thereat, 
and,  beholding  advisedly  the  same  with  silence  a  good 
while,  at  length  began  to  question  with  him  as  with 
his  companion ;  and  finding  him  dumb>  seemed  to 
suspect  him  as  one  disdainful,  and  would  have  grown 
into  choler ;  until  at  last,  by  feeling  and  handhng,  he 
found  the  deceit,  and  then,  with  greai  noise  and  cries, 
ceased  not  wondering,  thinking  that  we  could  make 
men  live  and  die  at  our  pleasure."  There  were 
great  signs  of  mutual  attachment,  especially  between 
the  male  and  female  captive,  who  were  brought  home 
on  the  second  voyage.  She  killed  and  dressed  the 
dogs  for  him,  and  tended  him  carefully  when  sick, 
while  he  picked  out  the  sweetest  and  fattest  morsels 
and  laid  them  before  her ;  yet  they  lived  entirely  as 
brother  and  aister  without  the  slightest  impropriety. 
Our  naval  recoids  do  not  inform  us  of  the  feelings 
excited  in  the  nation  by  the  return  from  this  hard, 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


165 


peiiious,  and  abortive  voyage.  The  failure  of  sue 
cessive  attempts,  and  especially  of  one  got  up  with 
so  much  cost  and  circumstance,  probably  produced 
its  usual  effect  of  lassitude  and  despondence.  The 
glittering  stone,  which  was  to  have  converted  this 
northern  Meta  into  another  Peru,  was  never  more 
heard  of;  a  few  careful  assays  having  doubtless 
established  its  utter  insignificance.  Frobisher  re- 
commended strongly  the  trial  of  the  first  mistaken 
inlet  which  he  had  entered,  as  being,  in  comparison 
of  the  other,  broader,  more  patent,  and  every  way 
more  promising ;  but  the  people  could  by  no  means 
be  roused  to  any  farther  efforts.  He  was  obliged  to 
seek  in  other  climates  employment  for  his  daring 
and  active  spirit.  He  accompanied  Sir  Francis 
I  Drake  to  the  West  Indies ;  he  commanded  one  of 
the  largest  ships  in  the  armament  which  opposed  the 
Spanish  armada,  and  fought  with  such  bravery,  that 
he  was  decorated  with  the  honours  of  knighthood. 
Being  afterward  sent  to  assist  Henry  IV.  against 
the  League,  and  employed  in  the  attack  of  a  small 
fort  on  the  coast  of  France,  he  received  a  wound 
from  a  ball,  which,  through  unskilful  treatment, 
proved  fatal  in  November,  1594. 

Seven  years  after  Frobisher's  last  voyage,  the  spirit 
of  the  nation  was  again  roused.  Divers  opult  u  mer- 
chants of  London  and  of  the  west  determined  'a  "  cast 
in  tlieir  adventure ;"  and,  leaving  wholly  out  of  view 
the  delusive  hopes  of  gold  which  had  mislec^  Frobishe  , 
directed  theirs  entirely  to  the  discovery  «i»  d  pnssa<je 
to  India.  They  fitted  out  two  vessels,  the  Sunshine 
and  Moonshine,  of  60  and  35  tons  respectively,  which 
were  placed  under  the  command  of  John  Davis,  a 
steady  and  determined  seaman,  endowed  also  with  a 
large  portion  of  courtesy  and  good-humour,  by  which 
he  was  likely  to  render  himself  acceptable  to  the 
rude  natives  of  those  inhospitable  shores:  to  pro- 
mote which  laudable  purpose,  he  was  provided  not 
only  with  a  supply  of  the  trifling  gifts  suited  to  theii 


" 


'S 


I 


166 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


1   r 


R   \ 


taste,  but  with  a  band  of  music  to  cheer  and  recreate 
their  spirits.  This  being  a  western  navigation,  Da- 
vis, on  the  7th  June,  1585,  set  sail  from  Dartmouth. 
On  the  19th  July,  as  the  seamen  approached  the 
Arctic  boundary,  they  heard,  amid  a  calm  sea  beset 
with  thick  mist,  a  mighty  roaring,  as  of  the  waves 
dashing  on  a  rocky  shore.  The  soundings  gave  300 
fathoms;  however,  the  captain  and  master  pushed 
off  in  the  boat  to  examine  this  supposed  beach,  but 
were  much  surprised  to  find  themselves  involved 
amid  numerous  icebergs,  while  all  this  noise  had 
been  caused  by  the  rolling  and  beating  of  these  masses 
against  each  other.  Davis  landed  on  some  of  these 
islands,  and  broke  off  pieces  of  ice,  which,  being 
carried  to  the  ship,  were  converted  into  good  water. 
Next  day  he  came  in  view  of  the  south-western 
coast  of  Greenland,  which  appeared  the  most  dreary 
and  desolate  ever  seen ;  "  deformed,  rocky,  and 
mountainous,  like  a  sugar-loaf,  standing  to  our  sight 
above  the  clouds.  It  towered  above  the  fog  like  a 
white  list  in  the  sky,  the  tops  altogether  covered 
with  snow,  the  shore  beset  with  ice,  making  such 
irksome  noise  that  it  was  called  the  Land  of  Desola- 
tion.^^ The  water  on  this  coast  was  black  and  thick, 
like  a  standing  pool,  and  though  they  saw  many 
seals  floating,  and  birds  beating  upon  the  water, 
none  could  be  caught. 

After  sailing  for  several  days  along  this  dreary 
shore,  without  being  able  to  approach  on  account  of 
the  ice,  Davis  pushed  out  north-westward  into  the 
open  sea,  hoping  in  "  God's  mercy  to  find  our  de- 
sired passage."  On  the  29th  he  came  in  view  of  a 
land  in  64°  north  latitude,  which  was  still  only  Green- 
land ;  but  as  the  wind  was  unfavourable  for  proceed- 
ing westward,  the  air  temperate,  and  the  coast  free 
from  ice,  he  resolved  to  go  on  shore  and  take  a  view 
of  the  country  and  people.  In  the  company  of  two 
others,  he  landed  on  an  island,  leaving  directions  f3r 
the  rest  to  follow  as  soon  as  they  should  hear  any 


t!     >i 


/ 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES, 


167 


loud  signal.  The  party  mounted  the  top  of  a  rock, 
whence  they  were  espied  by  the  natives,  who  raised 
a  lamentable  noise,  with  loud  outcries  like  the  howl- 
ing of  wolves.  Davis  and  his  comrades  hereupon 
struck  up  a  high  note,  so  modulated,  that  it  might  at 
once  be  alluring  to  the  natives,  and  might  summon 
his  own  crew  to  deeds  either  of  courtesy  or  valour. 
Burton,  the  master,  and  others,  hastened,  well  armed, 
yet  with  the  band  of  music  playing,  and  dancing  to 
it  with  the  most  inviting  signs  of  friendship.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  gay  summons,  ten  canoes  hastened 
from  the  other  islands,  and  the  people  crowded  round 
the  strangers,  uttering  in  a  hollow  voice  unintelligi- 
ble sounds.  The  English  continued  their  friendly 
salutations,  while  the  other  party  still  showed  jea- 
lousy, till  at  length  one  of  them  began  pointing  to- 
wards the  sun  and  beating  his  breast.  These  signs 
being  returned  by  John  Ellis,  master  of  the  Moon- 
shine, the  natives  were  induced  to  approach;  and 
being  presented  with  caps,  stockings,  gloves,  and 
whatever  the  navigators  had,  and  continuing  to  be 
hailed  with  music  and  dancing,  their  fears  gave  place 
to  the  most  cordial  amity.  Next  day  there  appeared 
thirty-seven  canoes ;  the  people  from  which  kindly  in- 
vited the  English  on  shore,  showing  yager  impatience 
at  their  delay.  Davis  manned  his  boats  and  went  to 
t  hem ;  one  of  them  shook  hands  with  him,  and  kissed  his 
hand,  and  the  two  parties  became  extremely  familiar. 
Tlie  natives  parted  with  every  thing,  the  clothes  from 
off  their  backs,  consisting  of  seal-skins  and  birds* 
skins  with  the  featliers  on  them,  their  buskins  of 
well-dressed  leather,  their  darts,  oars,  and  five  canoes, 
accepting  cheerfully  in  return  whatever  their  new 
visiters  chose  to  present ;  and  they  kindly  aided  each 
other  under  the  privations  thus  occasioned.  They 
offered  to  return  next  day  with  an  aixiple  store  of 
furs  and  skins,  wliic'h  tiiey  saw  the  foreigners  value 
so  highly;  but  a  favourable  breeze  springing  up, 
Davis  very  properly  determined  to  allov/  nothing  to 


m 


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168 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


interfere  with  his  schemes  of  discovery.  He  steered 
directly  across  the  strait,  or  rather  sea,  which  still 
bears  his  own  name.  On  the  6th  August  he  disco- 
vered high  land,  which  he  named  Mount  Raleigh, 
being  part  of  Cumberland  Island.  Here,  anchoring 
in  a  fine  road,  the  seamen  saw  three  white  animals, 
which  seemed  to  be  goats.  Desirous  of  fresh  vic- 
tuals and  sport,  they  pursued  them,  but  discoA'ered 
instead  three  monstrous  white  bears.  The  animals 
rushed  on,  fearless  and  furious,  till  being  received 
with  several  balls,  thev  retreated,  apparently  not 
iiiuch  hurt,  but  were  followed  and  at  last  killed. 
There  appeared  no  symptoms  of  their  having  fed  on 
any  thing  except  grass ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  clear 
away  a  very  large  quantity  of  fat  before  the  flesh 
could  be  eaten. 

Davis,  after  coasting  about  for  some  days,  agal?i 
ibund  himself  at  the  cape  which  he  had  at  fivRt 
reached  on  his  crossing  from  the  opposite  shore  of 
Greenland.  This  promontory,  which  he  called  God'* 
Mercy,  he  now  turned,  when  he  found  himself  in  a; 
sound  stretching  north-westward,  twenty  or  thirty 
leagues  broad,  free  from  ice,  and  its  waters  having 
the  colour  and  quality  of  the  main  ocean.  After 
ascending  it  sixty  leagues,  he  found  an  island  in 
the  mid-channel,  which  still,  however,  afforded 
an  open  passage,  so  that  his  hopes  daily  in(;reased. 
About  the  end  of  August,  however,  being  involved 
in  fogs  and  contrary  winds,  he  determined  to  sus- 
pend operations  for  this  season  and  return  to  Eng- 
Jand. 

On  one  of  the  l^'anc-  in  this  sound  the  seamen 
heard  dogs  howlinL(,  and  saw  tv  oiity  approach,  of 
wolf-like  appeara'  e,  but  in  most  peaceful  guise. 
Impressed,  however,  with  tlie  idc^a  th-.it  oiily  auiuials 
of  prey  could  be  found  on  these  shores,  they  fired 
and  kiilbd  two,  round  one  of  wliose  necks  they  found 
a  collar,  and  soon  after  discovered  the  sledge  to  which 
he  had  l}een  yoked.    Davis  saw  on  tins  voyage  abun- 


EARLY   N0RTH->'i2ST   VOYAGES. 


169 


dance  of  the  black  and  glittering  stone  of  Frobisher, 
and  many  of  the  rocks  appeared  "  orient  like  gold ;" 
but  little  attention  was  now  excited  by  these  delusive 
appearances. 

Although  nothing  was  actually  done  by  this  expe- 
dition, 37et  the  ultimate  views  which  it  had  opened 
to  Davis  inspired  sanguine  hopes,  and  facilitated  the 
equipment  of  a  fresh  expedition.  To  the  slender  ar- 
mament of  the  Sunshine  and  Moonshine  was  now 
added  the  Mermaid  of  120  tons,  with  a  boat  or  pin- 
nace. Davis  sailed  from  Dartmouth  on  the  7th  May, 
and  on  the  15th  June  came  in  view  of  the  southern 
extremity  of  Greenland;  but,  owing  to  severe 
storms,  it  was  the  29th  before  he  reached  the  land 
formerly  visited  in  lat.  64*.  As  the  English  ap- 
proached, the  natives  came  out  in  their  canoes  at  first 
with  shouts  and  cries ;  but,  recognising  their  com- 
panions of  the  former  year,  they  hastened  forward, 
and  hung  round  the  vessel  with  every  expression  of 
joy  and  welcome.  Davis,  seeing  them  in  such  fa- 
vourable dispositions,  went  ashore  and  distributed  in 
presents  twenty  knives,  refusing  the  offer  of  skins  in 
return.  The  most  intimate  acquaintance  was  now 
begun  ;  yet  they  never  met  the  strangers  anew  with- 
out crying,  ^^Hiaout!"  beating  their  breasts  and  lifting 
their  hands  to  the  sun,  by  which  a  fresh  treaty  was 
ratified.  The  two  parties  amused  themselves  by 
contests  in  bodily  exercises.  The  Esquimaux  could 
not  match  their  opponents  in  leaping ;  but  in  wres- 
thn^  they  showed  themselves  strong  and  skilful,  and 
threw  some  of  the  best  English  wrestlers.  By  de- 
groes  they  began  to  manifest  less  laudable  qualities. 
They  exercised  many  and  solemn  incantations, 
though,  Davis  thanks  God,  without  any  effect.  They 
kindled  a  fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks  against  each 
other,  and  invited  him  to  pass  through  it ;  but  he, 
in  contempt  of  their  sorcer>',  caused  the  fire  to  be 
trodden  out,  and  the  embers  thrown  into  the  sea. 
The  natives  s^,K>wed  sdon  a  mu<'h  more  inconvenient 


i '  ^ 


'» >, 


I' 


l^Cfilt-'    :^' 


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170 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


propensity  to  appropriate  every  article,  especially 
iron,  which  came  under  their  notice.  Perhaps  it  was 
imprudent  ever  to  have  made  presents,  thus  sug- 
gesting the  idea,  which  does  not  seem  to  have  be- 
fore entered  their  minds,  that  any  thing  could  be 
obtained  without  an  equivalent.  However,  they 
soon  reached  the  highest  pitch  of  audacity;  they 
stole  a  spear,  a  gim,  a  sword,  cut  the  cables,  and 
even  the  Moonshine's  boat  from  her  stem.  The 
leading  personages  of  the  crew  remonstrated  with 
Davis,  that  for  their  security  he  must  "  dissolve  this 
new  friendship,  and  leave  the  company  of  those 
thievish  miscreants."  Davis  fired  two  pieces  over 
their  heads,  which  "  did  sore  amaze  them,"  and  they 
fled  precipitately.  But  in  ten  hours  they  again  ap- 
peared with  many  promises  and  presents  of  skins ; 
when,  on  seeing  iron,  "  they  could  in  nowise  forbear 
stealing."  The  commander  was  again  besieged  with 
the  complaints  of  his  crew ;  however,  "  it  only  mi- 
nistered to  him  an  occasion  of  laughter,"  and  he  bid 
his  men  look  vigilantly  to  the  safety  of  their  own 
goods,  and  not  deal  hardly  with  the  natives,  who 
could  scarcely  be  expected  in  so  short  a  time  "  to 
know  their  evils." 

Davis  now  undertook  an  expedition  to  observe 
somewhat  of  the  interior.    He  sailed  up  what  ap- 
peared a  broad  river,  but  which  proved  only  a  strait 
or  creek.    A  violent  gust  of  wind  having  obhged  him 
to  seek  the  shelter  of  land,  he  attempted  to  ascend 
a  very  lofty  peak;   but  "the  mountains  were  so 
many  and  so  mighty,  that  his  purpose  prevailed  not." 
While  the  men  were  gathering  muscles  for  supper, 
he  was  amused  by  viewing  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  a  water-spout,  which  he  describes  as  a  mighty 
whirlwind  taking  up  the  water  and  whirling  it  round 
for  three  hours  without  intermission.    Next  day  he 
re-embarked,  and  penetrated  higher  up  the  channel 
but  was  surprised  to  find,  instead  of  the  huge  un 
brokeri  continent  which  he  had  supposed,  only  waste 


^ 


pecially 
s  it  was 

IS    SUg"- 

ave  be- 
ould  be 
,  they 

they 
es,  and 

The 
d  with 
Ive  this 
f  those 
es  over 
nd  they 
ain  ap- 
skins ; 
forbear 
ed  with 
nly  mi- 
l  he  bid 
ir  own 
3s,  who 
ne  "to 

)bserve 
tiat  ap- 
1  strait 
:ed  him 
ascend 
ere  so 
d  not." 
supper, 
in  his 
nighty 
;  round 
lay  he 
annel 
?e  un 
waste 


SARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


171 


and  desert  isles,  with  mighty  sounds   and  inlets 
passing  between  sea  and  sea. 

During  the  captain's  absence  matters  had  become 
worse  with  the  Esquimaux.  The  mariners  on  his  re- 
turn opened  a  fearful  budget ;  the  natives  had  stolen 
an  anchor,  cut  the  cable,  and  even  thrown  stones 
of  half  a  pound  weight  against  the  Moonshine ;  and 
he  was  asked  if  he  would  still  endure  these  injuries. 
Davis,  who  probably  suspected  that  the  sailors' 
own  dealings  had  not  been  very  gentle,  bid  them 
lave  patience,  and  all  should  be  well.  He  invited  an 
Esquimaux  party  on  board,  made  them  various  little 
presents,  taught  them  to  run  to  the  topmast,  and 
dismissed  them  apparently  quite  pleased.  Yet  no 
sooner  had  the  sun  set  than  they  began  to  "  practise 
their  devilish  nature,"  and  threw  stones  into  the 
Moonshine,  one  of  which  knocked  down  the  boat- 
swain. The  captain's  meek  spirit  was  at  length  kin- 
dled to  wrath,  and  he  gave  full  warrant  for  two  boats 
to  chase  the  culprits ;  but  they  rowed  so  swiftly  that 
the  pursuers  returned  with  small  content."  Two 
days  after,  five  natives  presented  themselves  with 
overtures  for  a  fresh  truce ;  but  the  master  came  to 
Davis,  remonstrating  that  one  of  them  was  "  the  chief 
ringleader,  a  master  of  mischief,"  and  was  vehement 
not  to  let  him  go.  He  was  made  captive,  and,  a  fair 
wind  suddenly  springing  up,  the  English  set  sail,  and 
carried  him  away,  many  doleful  signs  being  then  ex- 
changed between  him  and  one  of  his  countrymen ; 
however,  on  being  well  treated,  and  presented  with 
a  new  suit  of  frieze,  his  spirits  revived,  he  became  a 
pleasant  companion,  and  used  occasionally  to  assist 
the  sailors. 

Davis,  finding  the  wind  favourable,  pushed  across 
the  bay,  in  hopes  of  attaining  the  object  of  his  voyage. 
On  the  17th  July  the  mariners  descried  a  land  diver- 
sified with  hills,  bays,  and  capes,  and  extending  far- 
ther than  the  eye  could  reach ;  but  what  was  their 
horror  on  approaching,  to  find  that  it  was  only  "  a 


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172 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


most  mighty  and  strange  quantity  of  ice !"    It  ^vas, 
in  fact,  tiiat  great  barrier,  which  often,  for  a  great 
part  of  the  season,  fills  the  middle  of  Baffin's  Bay. 
As  they  coasted  along  this  mighty  field,  a  fog  came 
on,  by  which  the  ropes,  shrouds,  and  sails  were  all 
fast  frozen,— a  phenomena  which,  on  the  24th  July, 
appeared  more  than  strange.    Dismayed  by  these  ob- 
servations, the  seamen  considered  the  passage  hope- 
less, and,  in  a  respectful  yet  firm  tone,  warned  Davis, 
that  by  "his  over-boldness  he  might  cause  their 
widows  and  fatherless  children  to  give  him  bitter 
curses."    Davis  was  willing  to  consider  their  case ; 
yet,  anxious  not  to  abandon  so  great  an  enterprise, 
he  determined  to  leave  behind  him  the  Mermaid,  as 
a  vessel  less  convenient  and  nimble,  and  to  push  on 
in  the  Moonshine  with  the  boldest  part  of  his  crew. 
Having  found  a  favourable  breeze,  he  at  last,  on  the 
1st  August,  turned  the  ice,  and  in  lat.  66°  33'  reached 
land ;  along  which  he  now  coasted  southward  for 
about  ten  degrees,  entangled  among  a  number  of 
islands,  and  missing,  in  his  progress,  the  different 
inlets  which  afforded  an  entrance  into  Hudson's  Bay. 
TJi'  «^hores  were  crowded  with  incredible  flocks  of 
gulls  au'l  seamev/s,  and  the  water  so  abounded  in  fish, 
that,  thougli  their  tackle  was  very  indifferent,  in  the 
running  of  an  hour-glass  the  crew  caught  a  hundred 
cod.      On   -t  aching  Labrador,  the  coast  was  seen 
covered  with  ample  forests  of  fir,  pine,  yew,  and 
birch ;  but  five  men  who  landed  were  beset  by  the 
natives,  and  two  of  them  killed  and  two  wounded. 
Davis,  being  also  exposed  to  a  violent  tempest,  and 
seeing  September  arrive,  judged  it  wisest  to  return  to 
England. 

The  public  were  considerably  damped  by  the  issue 
of  this  expedition,  so  that  Davis  found  no  small  dif- 
ficulty in  obtaining  the  means  for  equipping  another. 
He  was  obliged  to  hold  out  the  inducement,  that,  by 
proper  arrangements,  the  outlay  might  be  defrayed 
fcy  fishing  and  no  additional  expense  incurred  on 


J 


/ 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


173 


account  of  discovery.  By  these  arguments,  and  by 
the  exertions  of  his  zealous  friend,  Mr.  Sanderson,  he 
succeeded  in  fitting  out  the  Sunshine,  the  Elizabeth, 
and  a  pinnace.  This  last,  to  which  he  mainly  trusted 
for  discovery,  answered  very  ill  the  character  which 
had  been  given  of  it,  and  was  found  to  move  through 
the  water  like  a  cart  drawn  by  oxen.  On  the  16th 
June  (1587),  the  adventurers  arrived  at  their  old 
coast,  and  were  received  by  the  natives  a  s  fore  with 
the  cry  of  iliaout  and  the  exhibition  of  sl^  .us.  These 
savages,  however,  lost  no  time  in  the  reu.  "al  of  their 
former  system  of  thieving ;  for  which  g'  >pportu- 
nities  were  afforded  during  the  putting  ii>gether  of  a 
boat  with  materials  brought  from  England.  They 
carried  off  the  planks,  and  when  fired  at  placed  them 
before  the'rbodies  as  shields,  thus  securing  both  their 
planks  auci  persons.  It  was  now  arranged  that  the 
two  large  vessels  should  remain  to  fish,  while  Davis 
in  the  pinnace  should  stretch  out  into  a  higher  la- 
titude with  a  view  to  discovery.  In  pursuance 
of  this  plan  he  took  his  departure,  and,  continuing 
to  range  the  coast  to  the  northward,  on  the  28th  he 
reached  a  point  which  he  named  Sanderson's  Hope, 
in  upwards  of  72  degrees,  still  finding  a  wide  open 
sea  to  the  west  and  north.  Here,  the  wind  having 
shifted,  Davis  resolved  to  hold  on  a  western  tack 
across  this  sea,  and  proceeded  for  forty  leagues  with- 
out sight  of  land  or  any  other  obstruction,  when  he 
was  arrested  by  the  usual  barrier  of  an  immense 
bank  of  ice.  He  first  endeavoured  to  round  it  by 
the  north,  but,  seeing  no  passage  on  that  side,  turned 
to  the  south,  beating  about  for  several  days  without 
success.  Tempted  by  an  apparent  opening,  he  in- 
volved himself  in  a  bay  of  ice,  from  which  he  was 
not  extricated  without  much  diflSculty  and  some 
danger.  He  was  obliged  to  wait  the  moment  when 
the  sea  beating  and  the  sun  shining  on  this  mighty 
mass  should  effect  its  dissolution.  At  length,  on  the 
19th  July,  he  came  in  view  of  Mount  Raleigh,  apd 

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EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES* 


at  midnight  found  himself  at  the  mouth  of  the  in* 
let  discovered  in  the  first  voyage,  and  which  has 
since  been  called  Cumberland  Strait.  Next  day  he 
sailed  across  its  entrance,  and  in  the  two  following 
days  ascended  its  northern  shore,  till  he  was  again 
involved  among  numerous  islands.  He  seems  now 
to  have  concluded  this  strait  to  be  an  enclosed  gulf, 
and  shaped  his  course  to  reach  the  sea ;  but  being 
becalmed  in  the  bottom  of  the  bay,  he  could  not  till 
the  29th,  by  coasting  along  the  southern  shore,  effect 
his  retreat.  Frobisher's  Strait  was  now  passed,  seem- 
ingly without  being  recognised  as  such,  but  was 
called  Lumley's  Inlet.  He  next  crossed  the  mouth 
of  an  extensive  gulf,  in  one  part  of  which  his  vessel 
was  carried  along  by  a  violent  current,  while  in  an- 
other the  water  was  whirling  and  roaring  as  is  usual  at 
the  meeting  of  tides.  This  recess,  being  terminated 
by  Cape  Chidley,  was  evidently  the  grand  entrance 
afterward  penetrated  by  Hudson.  Davis,  however, 
who  had  only  half  a  hogshead  of  water  left,  hastened 
to  the  point  of  rendezvous  fixed  with  the  two  other 
vessels;  but,  to  his  deep  disappointment  and  just 
indignation,  he  found  that  they  had  departed.  It 
was  not  without  hesitation  that,  with  the  slender 
store  remaining  in  his  little  bark,  he  ventured  to 
sail  for  England ;  but  having  scarcely  any  alterna- 
tive, he  undertook  the  voyage,  and  happily  accom- 
plished it. 

Davis  wrote  still  to  Mr.  Sanderson  in  sanguine 
and  almost  exulting  terms.  He  had  reached  a  much 
higher  latitude  than  any  former  navigator,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  the  barrier  of  ice  on  one  side,  had 
found  the  sea  open,  blue,  of  vast  extent,  and  un- 
fathomable depth.  lie  considered,  therefore,  that 
the  success  of  a  spirited  attempt  was  almost  infal- 
lible. But  the  interest  taken  by  the  nation  in  such 
enterprises  seems  only  capable  of  bnng  sustained  foi 
a  certain  period.  Three  failures  had  exhausted  that 
iaterest,  and  made  men  indisposed  to  listen  or  in* 


i   I 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


175 


f  the  in- 
hich  has 
t  day  he 
following 
as  again 
ems  now 
)sed  gulf, 
but  being 
Id  not  till 
»re,  effect 
ed,  seem- 
but  was 
he  mouth 
tiis  vessel 
lile  in  an- 
s  usual  at 
jmiinated 
entrance 
however, 
hastened 
;wo  other 
and  just 
irted.  It 
3  slender 
itured  to 
•  alterna- 
r  accom- 

sanguine 
d  a  much 
and,  with 
side,  had 

and  un- 
ore,  that 
)st  infal- 

in  such 

ained  foi 

sted  that 

hn  or  in« 


quire  farther  into  the  subject.  It  became  the  cry,  as 
he  informs  us, — "  This  Davis  hath  been  three  times 
employed;  why  hath  he  not  found  the  passage?" 
The  death  of  Secretary  Walsingham  occurring  at 
this  period  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  cause,  while 
the  invasion  by  the  Spanish  Armada  soon  followed, 
and  engrossed  for  a  space  all  the  thoughts  and  ener- 
gies of  the  nation.  Mr.  Sanderson  still  continued 
the  steady  friend  of  Davis;  but,  unable  to  obtain 
resources  for  a  new  armament,  he  could  only  employ 
Molyneux,  the  best  artist  of  his  time,  to  construct 
a  globe  which  comprised  all  that  navigator's  disco- 
veries, and  is  still  preserved  in  the  library  of  the 
Middle  Temple. 

In  1602  the  spirit  of  the  nation  revived.  To  the 
Muscovy  Company,  which  had  taken  the  great  lead 
in  all  the  early  schemes  of  discovery,  was  now  added 
the  Levant  Company ;  and  these 'two  gieat  bodies, 
finding  the  course  to  India  by  the  Cape  still  beset 
with  many  dangers,  determined  upon  a  joint  effort 
to  penetrate  thither  by  the  north-west.  They  sent 
out  Captain  George  Weymouth  with  two  vessels,  the 
Discovery  and  Godspeed,  which  they  called  fly- 
boats,  though  they  were  respectively  of  70  and  60 
tons.  He  left  London  on  the  2d  May,  and  on  the 
18th  June  came  in  view  of  the  coast  of  Greenland, 
which  appeared  to  him  "  a  main  bank  of  ice."  The 
water  was  in  many  places  as  thick  as  puddle,  mak- 
ing him  imagine  himself  among  shallows,  till  the 
sounding-line  gave  120  fathoms  without  any  ground. 
This,  formerly  observed  by  Davis,  was  probably  the 
ffreen  cloudy  sea  of  Scoresby,  thickened  by  the  in- 
fusion of  numberless  animalcules. 

Weymouth,  having  made  sail  westward  with  a 
favourable  breeze,  came,  on  the  28th,  in  sight  of  the 
coast  of  America.  There  appeared  a  promontory 
covered  with  snow,  which  he  concluded  to  be  War- 
wick's Foreland ;  but  the  vessels  were  tossed  to  and 
fro  by  violent  currents,  or  overfalls,  as  he  calls  them, 


* 


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76 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


and  involved  in  fogs  so  thick,  that  they  were  once 
quite  close  to  a  bank  of  ice  before  it  was  perceived. 
However,  being  in  want  of  water,  the  party  landed, 
loaded  their  boat  with  ice,  and  found  it  to  make  very 
palatable  drink.  The  crews  heard  a  great  sound  like 
the  dashing  of  waves  on  the  shore ;  on  making  up 
to  which  they  were  dismayed  to  find  it "  the  noise 
of  a  great  quantity  of  ice,  which  was  very  loath- 
some to  be  heard."  The  mist  became  so  thick,  that 
they  could  not  see  two  ships'  length,  and  determined 
to  take  down  the  sails ;  but  were  petrified  to  find 
them  so  fast  frozen  to  the  rigging,  that  in  "  this 
chiefest  time  of  summer  they  could  not  be  moved." 
Next  day  they  renewed  the  attempt;  but  it  was 
only  by  cutting  away  the  ice  from  the  ropes  that 
they  could  be  made  to  move  through  the  blocks. 
The  following  day  the  fog  lay  so  thick,  and  froze 
so  fast,  that  ropes,  sails,  and  rigging  remained  im- 
moveable. 

These  phenomena  produced  a  disastrous  effect  on 
the  minds  of  the  sailors,  who  began  to  hold  secret 
conferences,  ending  in  a  conspiracy  "  to  bear  up  the 
helm  for  England."  It  was  proposed  to  seize  Wey- 
mouth, and  confine  him  in  his  cabin  till  he  gave  his 
consent;  but  the  captain,  receiving  notice  of  this  ne- 
farious design,  called  the  seamen  before  him,  and  in 
presence  of  Mr.  Cartwright  the  preacher,  and  Mr. 
Cobreth  the  master,  called  upon  them  to  answer  for 
thus  attempting  to  overthrow  a  voyage  fitted  out  at 
such  ample  cost  by  the  honourable  merchants.  The 
men  stood  firm,  producing  a  paper  signed  by  their 
own  hands,  in  which  they  justified  the  proposed  step 
as  founde  n  solid  reason,  without  any  tincture 
of  fear  or  c  ardice.  They  represented,  that  if  they 
should  suffer  themselves  to  be  enclosed  in  an  un- 
known sea,  by  this  dreadful  and  premature  winter, 
they  would  not  only  be  in  imminent  danger  of  perish- 
ing, but  could  not  hope  to  commence  then:  career  of 
discovery  next  year  sooner  than  May;  while  by 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


177 


5  once 
jeived. 
anded, 
every 
ndlike 
ng  up 
>  noise 

loath- 
k,  that 
rmined 
to  find 

"  this 
lOved." 
it  was 
es  that 
blocks. 
I  froze 
led  im- 

ffect  on 
I  secret 
r  up  the 
e  Wey- 
ave  his 
this  ne- 
,  and  in 
ind  Mr. 
wer  for 
I  out  at 
I.  The 
y  their 
ied  step 
cincture 
;  if  they 
an  un- 
winter, 
perish- 
ireer  of 
lile  by 


setting  sail  indue  time  from  England  they  might  easily 
reach  this  coast  in  that  month.  Weymouth  retire<i 
to  his  cabin  to  deliberate,  when  he  heard  it  an- 
nounced that  the  helm  was  actually  borne  up.  Hast- 
ening on  deck,  and  asking  who  had  done  this,  he 
was  answered,  "One  and  all!"  and  he  found  the 
combination  such  as  it  was  impossible  to  resist, 
though  he  took  occasion  afterward  to  chastise  the 
ringleaders.  The  men,  however,  declared  them- 
selves ready  to  hazard  their  lives  in  any  discovery 
which  might  be  attempted  to  the  southward. 

Accordingly,  on  descending  to  61°  N.  lat.,  Wey- 
mouth found  himself  at  the  entrance  of  an  inlet,  into 
which  he  sailed  in  a  south-west  direction,  a  hundred 
leagues  by  reckoning;  but  encountering  fogs  and 
heavy  gales,  and  finding  the  season  far  spent,  he 
deemed  it  necessary  to  regain  the  open  sea.  This 
inlet,  however,  was  thought  to  present  more  favour- 
able hopes  of  a  passage  than  any  otlier  that  had  yet 
been  discovered.  It  appears  in  fact  to  have  been  the 
grand  entrance  of  Hudson's  Bay ;  so  that  Fox  justly 
ascribes  some  merit  to  Wejonouth  in  directing  that 
great  navigator  into  this  spacious  expanse.  As  his 
course,  however,  of  west  by  south,  must  have  led 
him  off  the  main  channel  of  this  large  strait,  and 
thrown  him  on  the  western  shore  of  what  is  now 
called  Ungava  Bay,  his  estimated  reckoning  of  a 
Imndred  leagues  is  evidently  overrated.  In  65"^  he 
found  a  fair  land,  consisting  of  islands  and  "  goodly 
sounds,"  apparently  the  place  where  the  Moravian 
settlement  of  Nain  was  afterward  formed.  Soon 
after,  a  dreadful  hurricane  from  the  west  seemed  to 
take  up  the  sea  into  the  air,  and  drove  the  ships  be- 
fore it  with  the  utmost  impetuosity.  Had  it  been 
from  any  other  quarter  they  must  have  been  dashed 
to  pieces  on  rocks;  however  they  ranged  through  the 
open  sea,  and  in  the  greatest  extremity  **  the  Lord 
delivered  us  his  unworthy  servants."  He  had  now 
an  easy  navigation  to  England, 


ji 


^  1 

'.  i 


If! 


I 


178 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES'. 


.4  I 


r       .1 


I'  I 


[ 


No  farther  proceedings  occurred  till  1606,  when 
the  Muscovy  and  East  India  merchants  fitted  out  a 
vessel  of  forty  tons  under  John  Knight,  who  had 
D^  p,n  employed  in  the  Danish  voyages  to  Greenland, 
and  was  considered  a  stout  and  enterpiissing  sailor. 
He  sailed  from  Gravesend  on  the  18th  April,  but  was 
detained  a  fortnight  in  the  Pentland  Frith ;  however, 
"  two  lustie  fellows,  well  acquainted  Avith  these  north 
parts  of  Scotland,"  took  him  into  a  good  harbour 
called  St.  Margaret's  Hope,  where  he  remained  till 
the  12th  May.  He  directed  his  course  almost  due 
west,  towards  America,  and  had  reached  the  latitude 
of  58°,  when  winds  and  currents  bore  him  to  the 
southward.  On  the  19th  of  June  he  was  in  56°  48', 
when  he  saw  the  continent  rising  like  eight  islands. 
The  vessel,  however,  had  been  so  distressed  with 
tempest  and  heavy  fogs,  and  so  bruised  between 
mighty  islands  of  ice,  that  it  was  necessaiy  to  put  it 
into  a  little  cove  to  refit.  Here  the  wind  blew  with 
such  violence,  bringing  great  islands  of  ice  against 
the  vessel,  that  the  rudder  was  torn  from  the  stem ; 
and  hence  it  became  necessary  to  haul  it  on  shore  at 
the  bottom  of  the  cove,  that  it  might  undergo  a  tho- 
rough repair. 

On  the  26th,  Knight,  with  some  of  his  men  well 
armed,  went  across  in  the  boat  to  the  opposite  coast, 
in  search  of  a  better  harbour,  and  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  country.  With  this  view,  the  captain,  his 
mate,  and  another  went  over  a  hill,  leaving  three 
men  in  charge  of  the  boat.  These  last  waited  the 
whole  day  in  anxious  expectation  of  the  return  of 
the  party;  they  then  sounded  trumpets,  fired  muskets, 
and  made  every  imaginable  signal,  but  without  effect. 
Alter  waiting  till  eleven  at  night,  they  gave  up  hopes, 
and  returned  to  the  ship  with  these  black  and  doleful 
lidings.  The  crew  were  struck  with  the  deepest 
dismay  at  having  thus  lost  their  captain  and  best 
officers,  and  being  themselves  left  in  such  deplorable 
circumstances.    The  boat  was  fitted  out  next  morn- 


J,  when 

out  a 

ho  had 

enland, 

sailor. 

but  was 

Dwever, 

se  north 

harbour 

ned  till 

ost  due 

latitude 

I  to  the 

56°  48', 

islands. 

ed  with 

jetween 

to  put  it 

ew  with 

against 

ie  stem ; 

shore  at 

fo  a  tho- 

len  well 
te  coast, 
,  survey 
tain,  his 
\g  three 
ited  the 
3tum  of 
nuskets, 
It  effect, 
p  hopes, 
1  doleful 
deepest 
,nd  best 
plorable 
It  morn- 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


179 


hi»  for  search,  but  could  not  cross  the  channel  on 
account  of  the  ice.  After  two  distressful  days,  on 
the  night  of  Saturday,  the  28th  of  June,  as  the  boat- 
swain was  keeping  watch  in  advance  of  the  tents,  he 
suddenly  saw  rushing  through  the  darkness  a  great 
body  of  men,  who,  on  descrying  him,  let  fly  their  ar- 
rows. He  instantly  fired,  and  gave  the  alarm  ;  but, 
before  the  crew  could  start  from  bed  and  be  mus- 
tered, the  shallop  was  filled  with  fifty  savages,  who, 
with  loud  cries  and  menacing  gestures,  showed  them- 
selves prepared  for  immediate  attack.  The  English 
mustered  only  eight  men  and  a  large  dog,  and  though 
the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  they  determined  rather  to 
perish  bravely,  assailing  this  savage  enemy,  than  to 
wait  their  onset.  They  advanced,  therefore,  placing 
the  dog  foremost.  This  bold  front  appalled  the  sa- 
vages, who  leaped  into  their  boats,  and  made  off  with 
all  speed ;  but  they  were  entangled  in  the  ice,  and 
detained  a  considerable  time,  during  which  the  pur- 
suers continued  firing,  and  the  savages  were  heard 
"  crying  to  each  other  very  sore."  They  are  repre- 
sented, so  far  as  could  be  judged,  as  very  small  peo- 
ple, tawny-coloured,  with  thin  or  no  beards,  flat- 
nosed,  and  man-eaters ;  but  this  last  particular  was 
doubtless  hypothetical. 

The  mariners,  placed  in  this  alarming  situation, 
made  all  the  haste  they  could  to  fit  their  shattered 
bark  for  again  taking  the  sea.  They  had  first  to  cut 
a  way  for  her  through  the  ice ;  but  they  had  nothing 
which  could  be  called  a  rudder,  and  the  leaks  were 
so  large,  that  the  sailors  could  scarcely  enjoy  half 
an  hour^s  relief  from  the  pump.  At  length  they 
found  meanCi  to  stop  up  tolerably  the  principle  fissure, 
and,  after  hard  rowing  and  pumping  for  three  weeks, 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  coast  of  Newfoundland. 
Among  the  fishing  vessels  on  that  station,  they  found 
most  kind  and  loving  friends,  who  supplied  all  their 
wants ;  and  after  twenty  days  spent  in  repairing  theii 
ship,  and  refreshing  theii  bodies,  the  crew  ei\joyed  a 


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180 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES, 


ii 


good  passage  to  Dartmouth,  whence  they  transmitted 
to  London  an  account  of  the  doleful  issue  of  their 
voyage. 

It  was  Hudson  that  now  stood  foremost  in  the 
career  of  northern  discovery,  and  earned  a  fame 
which  has  placed  him  among  the  greatest  of  British 
navigators.  We  have  traced  his  career  in  former 
chapters — ^first  in  the  daring  attempt  to  cross  the 
Pole  itself;  then  in  his  second  voyage  for  the  north- 
east passage ;  and  also  in  his  third  excursion,  which 
ended  in  the  discovery  of  the  river  now  associated 
with  his  name.  But  the  most  eventful  of  his  voy 
ages,  and  that  marked  by  the  grandest  result,  waa 
the  one  which  closed  his  labours,  undertaken  with  a 
view  to  a  western  passage.  The  narrative  of  the 
commander  himself  is  only  a  meager  journal,  brought 
down  to  a  particular  point  of  the  voyage ;  but  a  full 
relation  is  given  by  a  certain  personage,  naming 
himself  Abacuk  Pricket,  against  whose  testimony, 
however,  for  reasons  that  will  appear  in  due  time, 
there  rest  some  heavy  objections.  This  expedition 
was  fitted  out  by  Sir  John  Wolstenholme,  Sir  Dudley 
Digges,  and  other  persons  of  distinction,  who  did 
not,  however,  project  it  on  a  very  magnificent  scale. 
It  consisted  only  of  one  vessel  of  65  tons,  provisioned 
for  six  months,  which  left  the  Thames  on  the  17th 
April,  1610.  Hudson  touched  at  the  north  of  Scot- 
land, the  Orkney  and  the  Faroe  Islands,  all  which 
he  judged  to  lie  not  in  so  high  a  latitude  as  the  maps 
represented.  On  the  11th  May  he  descried  the  east- 
ern part  of  Iceland,  and  was  enveloped  in  a  thick 
south  fog ;  hearing  the  sea  dashing  against  the  coast 
without  seeing  it.  He  was  thus  obliged  to  come  to 
anchor ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  weather  cleared,  he  pro 
ceeded  westward  along  the  coast  till  he  reached 
Snow  Hill  (Snaefell),  which  rears  its  awful  head 
above  the  sea  that  leads  to  the  frozen  shores  of 
Greenland.  On  their  way  the  navigators  saw  Hecla, 
the  volcano  of  which  was  then  in  activity,  vomiting 


•  EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES^ 


181 


torrents  of  fire  down  its  snowy  sides,  with  smoke 
ascending  to  the  sky ;  an  object  not  only  fearful  in 
Itself,  but  which  struck  them  with  alarm,  as  an  indi- 
cation of  unfavourable  weather. 

Leaving  the  Icelandic  coast  they  now  sailed  west- 
ward, and,  after  being  deceived  by  illusory  appear- 
ances of  land,  at  length  saw  the  white  cliffs  of 
Greenland  towering  behind  a  mighty  wall  of  ice. 
Without  attempting  to  approach  the  coast,  Hudson 
sailed  towards  the  south-west,  and  passed  what  he 
imagined  to  be  Frobisher^s  Straits,  which  in  fact  long 
continued  to  be  laid  down  on  the  c.  li^st  of  Green- 
land, though  with  manifest  error,  since  tl.  ey  evidently 
belong  to  that  of  America.  Hudson  now  turned 
Cape  Farewell,  and  "raised the  Desolations,"  making 
careful  observation  of  those  coasts,  which  he  found 
not  well  laid  down  in  the  charts.  The  mariners 
soon  began  to  descry,  floating  along,  the  mighty 
islands  oS  ice, — a  sight  which  appalled  all  but  the 
stoutest  hearts.  Onward  they  sailed,  however,  some- 
times enjoying  a  clear  and  open  sea,  but  often  en- 
compassed by  these  mighty  masses,  or  by  the  small 
and  drifting  heaps ;  and  at  length  they  had  to  steer 

Q 


^^^^  . 


182 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOVAQVP* 


■  i 


h   , 


'X 


:.i 


:*  i 


as  it  were  between  two  iands  of  ice.  They  some- 
times moored  themselves,  on  occasions  of  peril,  to 
these  icebergs ;  but  seeing  one  of  them  dispart,  and 
faU  with  a  tremendous  crash  into  the  sea,  they  no 
longer  trusted  to  such  a  protection.  On  the  25th 
June  land  appeared  to  the  north,  was  again  lost  sight 
of,  and  afterward  discovered  to  the  south ;  so  that 
they  found  themselves  at  the  broad  entrance  of  th^ 
channel  which  has  since  obtained  the  name  of  Hud- 
son's Strait.  They  were  now  still  more  pestered 
with  ice  in  various  forms,  particularly  that  of  large 
islands  standing  deep  in  the  water,  which  were  more 
difficult  to  avoid  from  the  violent  ripples  and  currents. 
Thus  they  were  often  obliged,  especially  amid  thick 
fogs,  to  fasten  themselves  to  the  largest  and  firmest 
of  these  masses,  upon  which  they  used  to  go  out 
from  time  to  time,  collecting  the  water  melted  in  the 
hollows,  which  proved  to  be  sweet  and  good.  Amid 
these  vicissitudes  many  of  the  sailors  fell  sick ;  and 
though  Pricket  does  not  choose  to  assert  that  their 
sole  malady  was  fear,  yet  in  many  he  saw  small 
symptoms  of  any  other.  The  crews  of  that  period, 
indeed,  display  few  S3rmptoms  of  the  patience  and 
hardihood  with  which  those  of  Willoughby  and 
Frobisher  had  first  braved  the  northern  tempests. 
Hudson,  seeing  his  men  in  this  depressed  temper, 
bethought  himself  of  an  expedient  by  which  he 
hoped  to  animate  them.  He  called  them  together, 
showed  them  his  card  (chart),  from  which  it  appeared 
that  they  had  penetrated  farther  into  the  straits  by  a 
hundred  leagues  than  any  former  expedition,  and  put 
it  to  themselves  whether  they  would  proceed,  yea 
or  nay.  This  was  a  bold  experiment,  but  did  not 
succeed.  Some,  it  is  true,  expressed  themselves 
"  honestly  respecting  the  good  of  the  action ;"  but 
others  declared  they  would  give  nine-tenths  of  all 
they  were  worth,  so  that  they  were  safe  at  home: 
others  said  they  did  not  care  where  they  went,  so 
they  were  out  of  the  ice.    Hudson,  vexed  and  dis- 


w 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


18B 


appointed,  broke  up  the  conference,  and  followed  his 
own  determination.  This,  we  think,  is  evidently 
the  real  state  of  the  case,  though  Pricket  represents 
the  captain  himself  as  in  a  state  of  alarm  and  doubt. 
He  accuses  him  also  of  having  remembered  too 
long  some  of  the  speeches  made  on  this  occasion,  to 
the  disadvantage  of  those  by  whom  they  had  been 
uttered. 

Notwithstanding  this  failure,  Hudson,  buoyed  up 
by  his  own  courage  and  hardihood,  seeing  land  alter- 
nately on  one  side  and  the  other,  having  sometimes 
a  wide  and  clear  sea,  and  being  sometimes  involved 
amid  mountains  of  ice,  made  his  way  onward.  Cer- 
tain rocky  islands  in  which,  when  severely  pressed 
by  the  wind  and  floe,  he  found  a  tolerable  harbour, 
were  called  "  Isles  of  God's  Mercy ;"  but  even  this 
harbour  was  rendered  dangerous  by  hidden  reefs; 
and  the  island  adjoining  to  it  contained,  according 
to  Pricket,  only  "  plashes  of  water  and  riven  rocks," 
and  had  the  appearance  of  being  subject  to  earth- 
quake. At  length,  they  arrived  at  a  broad  opening, 
having  on  each  side  capes,  to  which  Hudson  gave 
the  names  of  the  two  chief  patrons  of  the  voyage; 
to  the  one  on  the  continent,  that  of  Wolstenholme ; 
to  the  other  on  the  large  island  of  Mansfield,  that  of 
Sir  Dudley  Digges.  Landing  at  the  island  cape,  and 
mounting  a  hill,  the  men  descried  some  level  spots 
abounding  in  sorrel  and  scurvy-grass,  plants  most 
salutary  in  this  climate ;  while  herds  of  deer  were 
feeding,  and  the  rocks  were  covered  with  an  unex- 
ampled profusion  of  fowls.  Seeing  such  ample  ma- 
terials, both  for  sport  and  food,  the  crew,  who  had 
ever  shown  the  most  anxious  concern  for  their  own 
comfort,  earnestly  besought  Hudson  to  allow  them 
to  remain  and  enjoy  themselves  for  a  few  days  on 
this  agreeable  spot.  But  that  great  navigator,  seeing 
the  season  for  his  chief  enterprise  rapidly  passing 
away,  repelled  such  an  overture.  He  had  not  long 
proceeded  through  this  channel  when  the  coasts  on 


J    :. 


• 


>    ■ 


H"  ■ 


Kt/' 


>   If    i 


!ii.       \ 


F!'- 


f 


I 


184 


EARLY  JfORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


each  side  were  seen  to  separate,  and  he  beheld  before 
him  an  ocean-expanse,  to  which  the  eye  could  dis- 
cover no  termination.  It  seemed  to  him,  doubtless, 
a  portion  of  the  mighty  Pacific.  Here,  however, 
Hudson's  narrative  closes,  without  expressing  those 
feelings  of  pride  and  exultation  which  must  have 
filled  his  mind  at  this  promised  fulfilment  of  his 
highest  hopes.  The  relation  of  Pricket,  on  which 
we  must  now  depend,  shows  too  clearly  that  many 
of  his  crew  would  have  had  no  sympathy  with  such 
elevated  feelings. 

The  expanse  thus  discovered  by  Hudson  was  the 
great  inland  sea,  called  from  him  Hudson's  Bay;  and 
it  was  a  grand  discovery,  though  not  exactly  what 
he  imagin6d.  The  3d  of  August  was  now  arrived, 
a  season  at  which  the  boldest  of  northern  navigators 
had  been  accustomed  to  think  of  returning.  Little 
inclined  to  such  a  course,  he  continued  to  sail  along 
the  coast  on  the  left,  which  must  have  appeared  to 
him  the  western  boundary  of  America ;  hoping  pro- 
bably before  the  close  of  autumn  to  reach  some  cul- 
tivated and  temperate  shore,  where  he  might  take 
up  his  winter-quarters.  The  shores  along  this  bay, 
however,  though  not  in  a  very  high  latitude,  are 
subject  to  a  climate  the  most  rigorous  and  inclement. 
Entangled  in  the  gulfs  and  capes  of  an  unknown 
coast,  struggling  with  mist  and  stotrn,  and  ill  se- 
conded by  a  discontented  crew,  he  spent  three 
months  without  reaching  any  comfortable  haven. 
It  was  now  the  1st  November,  the  ice  was  closing  in 
on  all  sides,  and  nothing  remained  but  to  meet  the 
cheerless  winter  which  had  actually  begun.  The 
sailors  were  too  late  of  attempting  to  erect  a  wooden 
house ;  yet  the  cold,  though  severe,  does  not  seem  to 
have  reached  any  perilous  height.  Their  chief  alarm 
respected  provisions,  of  which  they  had  brought 
only  a  six  months'  supply,  and  consequently  had  now 
only  a  small  remnant  left.  Hudson  took  active 
measures  to  relieve  this  want.    He  carefully  hus- 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


185 


banded  the  original  stock,  and  propounded  a  reward 
to  whoever  should  kill  beast,  fish,  or  bird;  and 
"Providence  dealt  mercifully,"  in  sending  such  a 
supply  of  white  partridges,  that  in  three  months  they 
killed  a  hundred  dozen.  In  spring  these  birds  dis- 
appeared, but  were  succeeded  by  flocks  of  geese, 
swans,  ducks,  and  teal,  not  denizens  of  the  spot,  but 
on  their  flight  from  south  to  north.  When  these 
were  passed,  the  air  no  longer  yielded  a  supply,  but 
the  sea  began  to  open,  and  having  on  the  first  day 
taken  five  hundred  fishes  of  tolerable  size,  they  con- 
ceived good  hopes ;  but  this  success  did  not  conti- 
nue. Being  reduced  to  great  extremity,  they  searched 
the  woods  for  moss,  which  they  compare,  however, 
to  pounded  timber :  they  ate  even  frogs.  The  com- 
mander undertook  an  excursion  with  a  view  to  open 
an  intercourse  with  the  natives,  but  they  fied,  setting 
fire  even  to  the  woods  behind  them.  Parley  was 
obtained  with  one,  who  was  loaded  with  gins,  yet 
he  never  returned.  Discontents  arose  as  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  small  remaining  portion  of  bread 
and  cheese,  to  allay  which  the  captain  made  a  gene- 
ral and  equal  partition  of  the  whole.  This  was  a  bad 
measure  among  such  a  crew,  many  of  whom  knew 
not  how  **to  govern  their  share,"  but  greedily 
devoured  it  as  long  as  it  lasted.  One  man  even  ate 
tlie  whole  in  a  day,  and  brought  on  a  dangerous  sur- 
feit. Their  distress,  becoming  thus  greater  than 
ever,  soon  brought  on  a  most  fatal  crisis. 

Hudson,  as  may  be  observed,  had  from  the  first  to 
struggle  with  an  unprincipled,  ill-tempered  crew, 
void  of  any  concern  for  the  ultimate  success  of  the 
voyage.  He  had  probably  hoped,  as  the  season 
should  advance,  to  push  on  southward,  and  reach 
next  summer  the  wealthy  regions  which  he  was 
commissioned  to  search,  'fhe  sailors,  on  the  contrary, 
had  fixed  their  desires  on  "  the  cape  where  fowls  do 
breed,"  the  only  place  where  they  expected  to  obtain 
both  present  suDDly  and  the  means  of  retunimg  to 

0,2 


1^^ 


I- 


'- 


HI 

I 


't' 


VI 


i 

i 


I? 


(.[ 


18tf 


feARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAOES* 


England.  Ringleaders  were  not  wanting  to  head 
this  growing  party  of  malcontents.  At  the  entrance 
of  the  bay  the  captain  had  displaced  Ivet  the  mate, 
who  had  shown  strong  propensities  towards  return- 
ing, and  appointed  in  his  room  Bylot,  a  man  of 
merit,  and  who  had  always  shown  zeal  in  the  ge- 
neral cause.  He  had  also  changed  the  boatswain. 
But  the  most  deadly  blow  was  struck  by  Green, 
a  wretch  whom,  after  he  had  been  cast  off  by  all 
his  friends,  Hudgon,  from  humanity,  had  taken  on 
board,  and  endeavoured  to  reclaim  and  restore  to 
society.  He  was  possessed  of  talents  which  had  made 
him  useful,  and  even  a  favourite  with  his  superior; 
and  among  other  discontents,  it  was  reckoned  one, 
that  a  veil  was  thrown  over  several  flagrant  disor- 
ders of  which  he  had  been  guilty.  Yet  some  hot 
expressions  of  Hudson  caused,  it  is  said,  by  a  mis- 
understanding about  the  purchase  of  a  gray  coat,  so 
acted  on  the  fierce  spirit  of  this  ruffian,  that,  renounc- 
ing every  tie  of  gratitude  and  all  that  is  sacred  among 
mankind,  he  became  the  chief  in  a  conspiracy  to  seize 
the  vessel  and  expose  the  commander  to  perish. 

After  some  days'  consultation,  the  time  was  fixed 
for  the  perpetration  of  this  horrible  atrocity.  On 
the  2 1st  June,  1611,  Green  and  Wilson  the  boat- 
swain came  into  Pricket  the  narrator's  cabin,  and 
announced  their  fatal  resolution ;  adding,  that  they 
bore  him  so  much  good-will  as  to  wish  that  he  should 
remain  on  board.  Pricket  avers  most  solemnly, 
that  he  exhausted  every  argument  which  might  in- 
duce them  to  desist  from  their  horrid  purpose,  be- 
seeching them  not  to  do  so  foul  a  thing  in  the  sight 
of  God  and  man,  and  which  would  for  ever  banish 
them  from  their  native  country,  their  wives,  and 
children.  Green  wildly  answered,  that  they  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  go  through  with  it  or  die, 
and  that  they  would  rather  be  hanged  at  home  than 
starve  here.  An  attempt  was  then  made  to  nego- 
tiate a  delay  of  three,  two,  or  even  one  day,  but  all 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES 


187 


J  to  head 
B  entrance 
the  mate, 
ds  retum- 
i  man  of 
in  the  ge- 
►oatswain. 
by  Green, 
off  by  all 
taken  on 
restore  to 
[had  made 
superior; 
:oned  one, 
ant  disor- 
some  hot 
by  a  mis- 
ty coat,  so 
,  renounc- 
red  among 

jy  to  seize 
srish. 
was  fixed 
city.  On 
the  boat- 
;abin,  and 
that  they 
he  should 
solemnly, 
might  in- 
rpose,  be- 
the  sight 
er  banish 
ives,  and 
they  had 
it  or  die, 
ome  than 
to  nego- 
Yf  but  all 


without  effect.  Ivet  came  next,  of  whom,  as  being 
a  person  of  mature  age,  there  seemed  more  hope;  but 
he  was  worse  than  Green,  declaring  that  he  would 
justify  in  England  the  deed  on  which  they  had  re- 
solved. John  Thomas  and  Michael  Perse  now  came 
in,  proving  themselves  "birds  of  a  feather,"  and 
Moter  and  Bennet  having  followed,  an  oath  was 
administered  to  the  following  tenor: — "You  shall 
swear  truth  to  God,  your  prince,  and  country ;  you 
shall  do  nothing  but  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good 
of  the  action  in  hand,  and  harm  to  no  man."  Pricket 
complains  of  the  reproach  thrown  upon  him  for  hav- 
ing taken  this  oath,  the  bare  terms  of  which  are 
certainly  unexceptionable ;  but  the  dark  context  by 
whifch  they  were  illustrated  marks  them  as  contain- 
ing an  implied  obligation  to  remain  at  least  passive 
on  this  dreadful  occasion.  All  was  now  ready,  but 
Pricket  persuaded  them  to  delay  till  daylight  the 
accomplishment  of  their  crime.  They  agreed,  but 
kept  strict  watch  through  the  nigi?t,  and  held  them- 
selves ready  to  act  at  the  first  appearance  of  dawn. 
Daybreak  approaching,  Hudson  came  out  of  his 
cabin,  when  he  was  instantly  set  upcn  by  Thomas, 
Bennet,  and  Wilson,  who  seized  him  and  bound  his 
hands  behind  his  back ;  and  on  his  eagerly  asking 
what  they  meant,  told  him  he  should  know  when 
he  was  in  the  shallop.  Ivet  then  attacked  King 
the  carpenter,  known  as  the  commander's  most  de- 
voted adherent.  That  brave  fellow,  having  a  sword, 
made  a  formidable  resistance,  and  would  have  killed 
his  assailant,  had  not  the  latter  been  speedily  re» 
inforced.  The  mutineers  then  offered  to  him  the 
choice  of  continuing  in  the  ship ;  but  he  absolutely 
refused  to  be  detained  otherwise  than  by  force,  and 
immediately  followed  his  master,  whom  the  conspi- 
rators were  already  letting  down  the  sides  of  the  ves- 
sel into  the  shallop.  Then,  with  a  barbarity  beyond 
all  example,  they  called  from  thsir  beds  and  drove 
into  it)  not  the  firm  adherents  of  Hudson,  but  the 


'•III 


i 


I 


i. ' ' 


188 


BARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES* 


sick  and  infirm  sailors  who  could  afford  no  aid,  and 
whose  support  would  have  been  burdensome.  They 
threw  after  them  the  carpenter's  box,  with  some  pow- 
der and  shot,  v  Scarcely  was  this  transaction  com- 
pleted, when  they  cut  off  the  boat  from  the  stem, 
•*  out  with  their  topsail,"  and  set  off,  flying  as  from 
an  enemy.  Hudson,  thus  abandoned,  was  never 
heard  of  more ;  and  this  great  navigator  undoubted- 
ly perished  on  those  remote  and  desolate  shores, 
though  the  form  or  duration  of  the  distress  to  which 
he  fell  a  victim  must  be  for  ever  unknown. 

The  sailors,  as  soon  as  the  guilty  deed  was  ac- 
complished, fell  upon  the  ship  as  on  a  captured  vessel, 
breaking  open  every  chest,  and  seizing  on  every 
remnant  of  food  which  could  be  discovered.  Green, 
however,  who  now  assumed  the  command,  used  some 
vigour  in  restoring  order.  He  placed  the  cabin  and 
provisions  under  the  charge  of  Pricket,  who  was  af- 
terward accused  of  a  matter  no  less  than  treason, — 
that  of  secreting  some  cakes  of  bread.  As  soon  as 
the  mutineers  had  time  to  reflect,  rueful  musings  be- 
gan to  arise.  Even  Green  admitted  that  England  at 
this  time  was  no  place  for  them,  nor  could  he  con- 
trive any  better  scheme  than  to  keep  the  high  sea  till, 
by  some  means  or  other,  they  might  procure  a  pardon 
under  his  Majesty's  hand  and  seal.  The  vessel  was 
now  embay^cd,  and  detained  for  a  fortnight  amid  fields 
of  ice,  which  extended  for  miles  around  it ;  and,  but 
for  some  cockle-^rass  found  on  an  island,  the  crew 
must  have  perished  by  famine.  Considerable  dis- 
putes with  respect  to  the  steerage  arose  between  Ivet 
and  Bylot,  who  alone  had  any  pretensions  to  skill ; 
but  the  latter,  being  justly  viewed  with  the  greatest 
confidence,  at  length  guided  them  to  Cape  Digges, 
the  longed-for  spot,  the  breeding  place  of  fowls, 
clouds  of  which  accordingly  still  continued  to  darken 
the  air.  The  party  immediately  landed,  spread  them- 
selves among  the  rocks,  and  began  to  shoot.  While 
the  boat  was  oii  shore,  they  saw  seven  canoes  rowing 


to 
se 
fo 
w 


t    M 


EAfttY  WORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


18d 


towards  them,  whereupon  "they  prepared  them- 
selves for  all  assayes."  However  the  savages  came 
forward,  beating  their  breasts,  dancing  and  leaping, 
with  every  familiar  and  friendly  sign.  The  utmost 
intimacy  commenced,  the  parties  went  backward  and 
forward,  showed  each  other  their  mode  of  catching 
fowls,  and  made  mutual  presents  and  exchanges.  In 
short,  these  appeared  the  most  kind  and  simple  peo- 
ple in  the  world,  and  "  God  so  blinded  Henry  Green,** 
that  he  viewed  them  with  implicit  confidence.  One 
day,  amid  the  height  of  this  intimacy.  Pricket,  sitting 
in  the  boat,  suddenly  saw  a  man*s  leg  close  to  him. 
Raising  up  his  head,  he  perceived  a  savage  with  a 
knife  uplifted  and  ready  to  strike.  In  attempting  to 
arrest  the  blow,  his  hand  was  cut,  and  he  could  not 
escape  three  wounds,  one  in  the  breast,  and  one  in 
the  right  thigh ;  by  which  time  he  got  hold  of  the 
handle  of  the  knife  and  wrenched  it  from  the  assassin, 
whom  he  then  pierced  with  his  dagger  in  the  left 
side.  At  the  same  time  a  general  attack  was  made 
on  the  English  crew,  dispersed  in  different  quarters. 
Green  and  Perse  came  tumbling  down  wounded  into 
the  boat,  which  pushed  off,  while  Moter,  "  seein? 
this  medley,*'  leaped  into  the  sea,  swam  out,  and, 
getting  hold  of  the  stern,  was  pulled  in  by  Perse. 
Green  now  cried  coragio,  and  he  and  Perse  bran- 
dished their  weapons  with  such  vigour,  that  the 
savages  ceased  attempting  to  enter  the  boat;  but 
they  poured  in  clouds  of  arrows,  one  of  which  struck 
Green  with  such  force  that  he  died  on  the  spot,  and 
his  body  was  thrown  into  the  sea.  At  lingth  the 
party  reached  the  vessel ;  but  Moter  and  Wilson  died 
that  day,  and  Perse  two  days  after.  Thus  perished 
the  chief  perpetrators  of  the  late  dreadful  tragedy, 
visited  by  Providence  with  a  fate  not  less  terrible 
than  that  which  they  had  inflicted  on  their  illustrious 
unfortunate  victim. 

The  crew,  thus  deprived  of  their  best  hands,  were 
in  extreme  perplexity,  obliged  to  ply  the  ship  to  and 


■  f 

1. 


i 


i  i 


.^■;,|M 


'«. 


|!'l    ' 


•IK 


\,% 


190 


EAULY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


i  f 


fro  across  the  straits,  and  unable,  without  the  utmost 
fear  and  peril,  to  venture  on  shore ;  which  yet  was 
absolutely  necessary  for  obtaining  provisions  to  cany 
them  to  England.  They  contrived,  during  some 
anxious  and  unhappy  excursions,  to  collect  three 
hundred  birds,  which  they  salted  and  preserved  as 
the  only  stock  whereupon  to  attempt  the  voyage. 
They  suffered,  during  the  passage,  the  most  dreadful 
extremities  of  famine,  allowing  only  half  a  fowl 
a-day  to  each  man,  and  considering  it  a  luxury  to 
have  them  fried  with  candles,  of  which  a  weekly  dis- 
tribution was  made  for  that  purpose.  Ivet,  now  the 
Bole  survivor  of  the  ringleaders  in  the  late  dreadful 
transaction,  sunk  under  these  privations.  The  last 
fowl  was  in  the  steep-tub,  and  the  men  were  become 
careless  or  desperate,  when  suddenly  it  pleased 
God  to  give  them  sight  of  land,  which  proved  to  be 
the  north  of  Ireland.  They  complain  that  on  going 
ashore  at  Berehaven,  they  did  not  meet  the  sympathy 
and  kindness  which  they  so  much  needed;  however, 
by  mortgaging  their  vessel,  they  obtained  the  means 
of  proceeding  to  Plymouth. 

Purchas  closes  the  narrative  by  saying, — "  Well, 
Mr.  Pricket,  I  am  in  much  douM  of  thy  fidelity ;" 
and  he  is  not  singular  in  this  suspicion.  It  seems 
clear  that  this  person  did  not  avail  himself  of  all  the 
means  by  which  he  might  have  attempted  to  cheek 
the  atrocious  mutiny.  Probably,  however,  had  he 
been  an  active  agent  in  the  crime,  he  would  have 
been  betrayed  by  some  of  his  accomplices;  or,  if 
they  had  been  all  bound  together  by  mutual  guilt, 
they  would  have  invented  some  story  which  would 
have  palliated  or  concealed  the  offence  altogether ; 
whereas  it  is  set  forth  by  this  narrative  in  all  its 
atrocity. 

Notwithstanding  the  calamitous  and  deplorable 
issue  of  this  voyage,  the  discovery  thereby  made  of 
a  great  open  sea  in  the  west  seemed  to  justify  the 
most  flattering  hopes  of  accomplishing  a  passaget 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


191 


To  follow  out  this  prospect,  Captain,  afterward  Sir  . 
Thomas  Button,  was  despatched  next  year  (1612), 
having  Bylot  anfl  Pricket  as  guides.  Button  seems 
to  have  been  an  active  and  resolute  seaman.  He 
soon  made  his  way  through  the  Straits,  and,  pushing 
directly  across  the  great  sea  which  opened  to  the 
westward,  he  came  in  view  of  an  insular  cape,  which 
he  called  Carey's  Swan's  Nest,  and  which  after^vard 
proved  to  be  the  most  southern  point  of  Southamp- 
ton Island.  Nothing  else  broke  the  apparent  conti- 
nuity of  the  ocean,  and  he  cherished  sanguine  hopes 
that  the  first  coast  he  should  see  would  be  that  of 
Japan.  Suddenly  the  alarm  of  land  was  given,  • 
when  there  appeared  before  him  an  immense  range 
of  Arctic  coast,  stretching  north  and  south,  and  bar- 
ring all  farther  progress.  Button,  deeply  disap- 
pointed, gave  to  it  the  name  of  Hope  Checked.  Be- 
fore he  had  time  to  look  for  an  opening,  the  gloom 
of  the  northern  winter  began  to  gather,  and  it  be- 
hooved him  to  seek  quarters  for  the  season.  These  he 
found  in  the  same  creek  and  river,  which  afterward 
became  the  principal  settlement  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  In  spite  of  his  best  precautions,  he  lost 
several  men  through  the  severity  of  the  cold,  and 
was  unable  to  extricate  himself  from  the  ice  till  the 
middle  of  June.  He  then  steered  northward,  and 
sought  an  opening  through  the  broad  bay  between 
the  continent  and  Southampton  Island,  since  called  t 
Roe's  Welcome.  Seeing  this  channel,  however,  be- 
come narrower  and  narrower,  till  it  apparently  closed, 
he  gave  up  the  attempt,  and,  after  touching  at  several 
points  of  the  island  just  named,  returned  to  England. 
Although  Button  had  been  thus  baffled  by  the 
unwelcome  encounter  of  the  western  shore  of  Hud- 
son's Bay,  the  merchants  still  justly  considered  it 
by  no  means  ascertained  that  this  coast  was  so  ex- 
tensive and  continuous  as  to  preclude  all  passage 
into  the  ocean  beyond  America ;  they  lost  not  a  sea- 
son, therefore,  in  fitting  out  (1614)  two  vessels  under 


'■t 


is 


\:  W- 


'"  w 


I    1 


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ij 


1     ' 


I     ^ 


192 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


r-  .     1 


U' 


m 


<  :f 


i  -i" 


;■  i 


Captain  Gibbons,  an  officer  of  reputation,  pronounced 
by  Button  "  not  short  of  any  man  that  ever  yet  he 
carried  to  sea."  But  either  his  reputation  went  be- 
yond his  merits,  or  fortune  was  smgularly  adverse, 
for  never  was  there  a  more  abortive  voyage.  He  was 
early  entangled  in  a  bay  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  in 
which  he  was  detained  the  whole  slimmer,  and  which 

,  was  afterward  dignified  with  the  appellation  of  "  Gib* 
bons  his  Hole."  Having  here  sustained  some  damage 
from  the  ice,  he  had  no  sooner  extricated  himself  than 
he  returned  home. 

The  merchant  adventurers,  still  undismayed,  sent 
out  next  summer  (1665)  the  Discovery  under  Bylot, 

'  who  in  all  the  late  voyages  had  approved  himself  ^ 
skilful  navigator,  and  was  accompanied  by  Baffin, 
whose  name  was  now  established  as  the  most  skilful 
steersman  and  best  nautical  observer  of  the  age. 
After  passing  Cape 'Farewell,  they  saw  some  most 
tremendous  islands  of  ice,  one  of  which  rose  340 
feet  above  water,  and,  according  to  the  usual  esti- 
mate, which  makes  this  visible  part  only  a  seventh 
of  the  whole,  had  probably  an  entire  height  of  1680 
feet.  They  entered  the  Straits,  and  having,  on  the 
2d  June,  heard  from  the  northern  shore  a  tremen- 
dous barking  of  dogs,  landed  and  found  five  tents 
covered  with  seal-skin,  amon?  which  were  running 
about  thirty-five  or  forty  of  these  animals,  of  a 
brinded  black  colour,  resembling  wolves.  They  had 
collars  and  harness  suitable  for  certain  sledges,  lined 
with  fish-bone,  which  were  standing  by;  In  one  of 
the  houses  was  a  bag  with  little  images  of  men,  the 
only  notice  we  find  of  any  such  fabrication  upon  this 
coast.  The  navigators  soon  descried  a  canoe  with 
twenty  individuals,  whom  they  hailed  with  Greenland 
words  of  courteous  import,  holding  up  knives  and 

.  other  toys.  Friendly  salutations  were  given  in  return ; 
but  neither  party  chose  to  trust  themselves  within 

.  reach  of  the  other.  At  a  little  distance,  the  conflict 
of  opposite  currents  amid  large  icebergs  caused  so 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


193 


onounced 
Br  yet  he 
went  be- 
■  adverse, 
He  was 
brador,  in 
md  which 
of  "Gib* 
e  damage 
iself  than 

lyed,  sent 
ler  Bylot, 
himself  ^ 
\)y  Baffir^ 
ost  skilful 
the  age. 
>me  most 
rose  240 
sua]  esti- 
a  seventh 
It  of  1680 
ig,  on  the 
ai  tremen- 
five  tents 
e  running 
lals,  of  a 
They  had 
Iges,  lined 
In  one  of 
men,  the 
upon  this 
moe  with 
jrreenland 
nives  and 
in  return; 
es  within 
le  conflict 
caused  so 


fearful  a  grinding,  that  they  gave  to  the  adjoining 
land  the  name  of  Mill  Island.  There  they  would 
have  been  in  extreme  danger  "  had  not  God,  who  is 
stronger  than  ice  or  stream,"  delivered  them. 

The  policy  of  Bylot  in  this  voyage.  se«>ms  to  have 
been  to  keep  close  to  the  northern  shore  of  the  strait ; 
and  thus,  entering  Hudson's  Bay  at  a  higher  latitude, 
he  hoped  to  keep  clear  of  those  lands  which  had 
barred  the  westerly  career  of  his  predecessors.  On 
reaching,  therefore,  Hudson's  Isles  of  God's  Mercy, 
instead  of  steering  southward  to  Cape  Dudley  Digges, 
he  proceeded  directly  west,  and  arrived  in  the  broad 
expanse,  afterward  called  the  Fox  Channel.  At 
length,  indeed,  he  saw  land,  but  it  was  bounded  by 
a  cape  which  had  every  appearance  of  being  the 
most  northerly  point  of  America.  He  called  it  Cape 
Comfort ;  though  this  name  it  soon  appeared,  was 
premature,  for  a  single  day  had  not  elapsed,  when 
"  his  sudden  comfort  was  as  soon  quailed."  They 
were  now  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Southampton 
Island,  which  spread  on  every  side  its  almost  mea- 
sureless extent,  seeming  to  preclude  every  prospect 
of  an  opening  on  either  hand.  Disappointment,  the 
lateness  of  the  season,  and  the  pressure  of  the  ice, 
concurred  in  persuading  Bylot  that  there  was  nothing 
to  be  hoped  for  here,  and  determined  him  to  set  sail 
immediately  for  England ;  whither  he  carried  a  most 
unfavourable  report  as  to  any  prospect  of  penetrating 
westward  in  that  direction. 

But  the  adventurers  were  not  discouraged  by  this 
unfavourable  result.  Turning  their  hopes  to  a  differ- 
ent quarter,  next  year  (1616)  they  again  fitted  out 
Bylot  and  Bafiin  with  instiuctions  no  longer  to  at- 
tempt the  passage  by  Hudson's  Bay,  but  to  enter 
the  Fretum  Davis  (Davis's  Straits),  and  push  due 
north  till  they  reached  lat  80°,  if  an  open  sea  should 
allow  them  to  proceed  so  far ;  then,  turning  to  the 
westward,  to  round,  if  practicable,  the  extreme  point 
of  America,  and  to  bear  down  upon  Japan.    Respect- 

R 


■  ' 


MmL». 


194 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES* 


ing  this  voyage,  which,  perhaps,  of  all  those  to  thd 
north,  produced  the  most  memorable  discoveries, 
Baffin  has  favoured  us  with  only  a  very  meager  nar- 
ration. Following  the  course  pointed  out,  he  reached, 
on  the  30th  May,  Hope  Sanderson,  the  farthest  point 
of  Davis's  progress.  Soon  afterward  the  expedition 
came  to  a  number  of  small  islands,  on  which  they 
found  only  females,  some  of  very  great  age.  These 
at  first  ran  and  hid  themselves  among  the  rocks; 
but  the  sailors  having  reached  two  dames,  one  of 
whom  was  estimated  at  fourscore,  and  having  pre- 
sented to  them  bits  of  iron  and  the  usual  toys,  the 
latter  carried  a  favourable  report  to  their  youthful 
countrywomen.  The  whole  party  soon  came  down 
to  the  shore,  and  four  even  went  on  board  the^ 
boat.  The  charms  of  these  ladies  were  heightened 
or  disfigured  by  long  black  streaks  made  in  their 
youth  with  a  sharp  instrument,  and  lodged  so  deep 
that  they  could  not  now  be  effaced.  It  was  observed, 
too,  that  the  dead  were  buried  merely  by  piling  stones 
over  them,  above  which  the  body  appeared,  secured, 
however,  from  putrefaction  by  the  extreme  cold  of 
the  climate.  The  navigators  sailed  onwards  in  lat. 
740,  when  they  were  arrested  by  a  large  body  of  ice, 
and  obliged  to  turn  into  a  neighbouring  sound  to 
wait  its  melting.  Here  they  received  repeated  visits 
from  about  forty-two  natives,  the  only  account  of 
whom  is,  that  they  brought  an  extraordinary  quan- 
tity of  the  bones  of  sea-unicorns  or  narwals,  great 
numbers  of  which  were  seen  swimming  in  the  water. 
Hence  this  was  called  Horn  Sound.  The  mass  of 
ice  now  dissolved  before  the  powerful  influence  of 
the  sun,  and  the  discoverers  sailed  northwards  among 
its  fragments ;  but  still,  snow  fell  every  day,  and 
the  shrouds  and  sails  were  often  so  hard  frozen 
as  to  make  it  impossible  to  handle  them.  In  76^ 
they  came  to  a  fair  cape,  and  then  to  a  fair  sound, 
to  which  they  gave  the  respective  names  of  Digges 
and  Wolstenholme,  the  two  main  promoters  of  this 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


195 


e  to  thd 
50veries, 
ger  nar- 
reached, 
3st  point 
pedition 
ich  they 
These 
3  rocks; 
,  one  of 
ing  pre- 
oys,  the 
youthful 
tie  down 
)ard  thd 
[ghtened 
in  their 

so  deep 
bserved, 
ig  stones 
secured, 
I  cold  of 
is  in  lat. 
y  of  ice, 
iound  to 
ted  visits 
;ount  of 
ry  quan- 
is,  great 
le  water, 
mass  of 
lence  of 
s  among 
iay,  and 
1  frozen 

In  76°^ 
r  soundt 
'  Digges 
3  of  this 


undertaking,  and  whose  zeal  was  already  associated 
with  localities  in  the  interior  of  Hudson's  Straits. 
After  having  sustained  a  somewhat  severe  storm, 
the  expedition  discovered   another   sound,  which 
would  have.supplied  them  with  a  multitude  of  whales 
had  they  been  dvdy  provided  with  the  means  of  cap- 
ture :  this  they  called  "Whale  Sound.    Next,  in  78°, 
appeared  another  inlet,  the  widest  and  greatest  in  all 
this  sea,  and  which  was  named  after  Sir  Thomas 
Smith,  one  of  the  main  promoters  of  discovery. 
This  opening,  which  Baffin  seems  to  have  examined 
very  superficially,  abounded  almost  equally  in  whales, 
and  caused  particular  astonishment  by  the  extraor- 
dinary aberration  of  the  needle,  to  which  nothing 
similar  had  been  ever  witnessed.    Between  these 
two  soimds  was  an  island  which  was  named  Hak- 
luyt,  after  the  venerable  recorder  of  early  English 
discoveries.    Proceeding  now  along  the  south-west- 
em.boundary  of  this  great  sea,  the  next  **  fair  sound" 
received  the  name  of  Alderman  Jones,  another  patron 
of  these  laudable  pursuits.    It  may  be  remarked, 
that  Baffin  notices  all  these  inlets,  of  which  he  was 
the  first  discoverer,  in  the  most  cursory  mai»r/T, 
without  mention  of  any  attempt  to  trace,  m  their  ia- 
terior  depths,  an  opening  into  any  sea  be^jrond.    In 
lat.  74°  there  appeared  another  broad  opemng,  which 
was  called  Sir  James  Lancaster's  Sound ;  but  '*7hile 
he  calls  it  great,  he  seems  scarcely  to  have  noticed 
this  future  entrance  into  the  Polar  Sea;  on  the  con- 
trary, he  observes,  at  the  very  same  moment,  that 
the  hope  of  a  passage  became  every  day  less  and 
less.    He  sailed  on ;  but  a  barrier  of  ice  prevented 
him  from  approaching  the  shore  till  he  came  within 
the  "  indraft"  of  Cumberland's  Isles,  **  where  hope 
of  passage  could  be  none."    Finding  the  health  of 
his  crew  rather  declining,  he  sailed  across  to  Green- 
land, where  an  abundance  of  scurvy-grass  boiled  in 
beer  quickly  restored  them ;  and  "  the  Lord  then  sent 
a  speedy  and  good  passage  homeward." 


Mtii&^ ' 


190 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


'-•  :,  I 


On  returning,  he  expressed  the  most  decided  con- 
viction that  the  great  sea  which  he  had  traversed  was 
a  bay  enclosed  on  all  sides,  and  atfording  no  opening 
into  any  ocean  to  the  westward ;  and  his  judgment 
was  received  by  the  public,  who  named  it  from  him 
Baffin's  Bay.  He  forcibly,  however,  represented  the 
great  opportunities  which  it  afforded  for  the  whale- 
fishery,  as  those  huge  animals  were  seen  sleeping  in 
vast  numbers  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  without 
fear  of  the  ship  "  or  of  any  thing  else."  Davis's 
Straits,  accordingly,  have  ever  since  been  a  favourite 
resort  of  the  fishers,  who  have  not,  hoTvever,  often 
ventured  into  those  liigh  latitudes,  where  whales  are 
described  by  Baffin  as  more  peculiarly  abundant. 

There  was  now  a  pause  in  English  discovery; 
every  quarter  had  been  tried,  and  none  seemed  to 
affi)rd  any  farther  promise.  Denmark,  however, 
which  has  always  felt  a  natural  interest  in  northern 
navigation,  made  an  attempt  to  follow  up  the  success 
of  Hudson  and  Baffin.  In  1619,  Christian  IV.  sent 
out  two  well-appointed  vessels  under  Jens  Munk, 
who  had  the  reputation  of  a  good  seaman.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  penetrating  through  Hudson's  Straits  into 
the  bay,  whereupon  he  took  upon  himself  to  change 
the  whole  nomenclature  of  that  region,  imposing  the 
names  of  Christian's  Straits  and  Christian's  Sea,  and 
calling  the  western  coast  New  De^imark.  But  this 
innovation,  which  was  contrary  to  every  principle 
recognised  in  such  cases,  has  not  been  confirmed  by 
posterity.  When  September  arrived,  and  the  ice 
closed  in,  he  thought  it  prudent  to  seek  winter-quar- 
ters, and,  accordingly,  established  himself  in  the 
mouth  of  an  opening,  which,  it  is  highly  probable, 
was  that  channel  wluch  has  been  since  called  Ches- 
terfield Inlet.  The  season  seemed  to  open  with  the 
best  promise,  commodious  huts  were  constructed, 
and  there  were  both  abundance  and  variety  of  game. 
The  Danes  saw  some  of  those  brilliant  aerial  pheno 
mena  which  are  peculiar  to  those  latitudes ;  at  on^ 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


197 


lowever. 


time  two,  and  at  another  three  suns  in  the  sky,  and  the 
moon  once  environed  by  a  transparent  circle,  within 
which  was  a  cross  cutting  through  its  centre ;  but, 
instead  of  amusing  their  minds  with  these  beautiful 
appearances,  they  were  depressed  by  viewing  them 
as  a  mysterious  presage  of  future  evils.  Frost  now 
set  in  with  all  its  intensity ;  their  beer,  wine,  and 
other. liquors  were  converted  into  ice;  the  scurvy 
began  its  ravages,  and,  ignorant  of  the  mode  of 
treating  it,  they  employed  no  remedy,  except  a  large 
quantity  of  spirits,  which  has  always  been  found  to 
aggravate  that  frightful  disorder.  Unfit  for  the  ex- 
ertion necessary  to  secure  the  game  with  which  the 
country  abounded,  they  soon  had  famine  added  to 
their  other  distresses.  Their  miseries  seem  to  have 
been  almost  without  a  parallel,  even  in  the  dark  an- 
nals of  northern  navigation.  Mimk  himself  was  left 
four  days  in  his  hut  without  food :  at  length,  having 
crawled  out,  he  found  that,  of  the  original  crew  of 
fifty-two,  no  more  than  two  survived.  He  and  they 
were  overjoyed  to  meet,  and  determined  to  make  an 
effort  to  preserve  life.  Gathering  strength  from  de- 
spair, they  dug  into  the  snow,  under  which  they 
found  herbs  and  grass,  which,  being  of  an  anti-scor- 
butic quality,  soon  produced  a  degree  of  amendment. 
Being  then  able  to  fish  and  shoot,  they  gradually  re- 
gained their  natural  vigour.  They  equipped  anew 
the  smaller  of  the  two  vessels,  in  which  they  reached 
home,  on  the  25th  September,  1620,  after  a  stormy 
and  perilous  voyage.  Munk  declared  his  readiness 
to  sail  again ;  and  there  are  various  reports  as  to  the 
cause  why  he  did  not.  Some  say,  that  having,  in  a 
conference  with  the  king,  been  stung  by  some  ex- 
pressions which  seemed  to  impute  the  disasters  of 
the  voyage  to  his  mismanagement,  he  died  of  abroken 
heart.  But  Forster  relates,  that,  during  several  suc- 
cessive years,  he  was  employed  by  the  king  on  the 
North  Sea  and  in  the  Elbe,  and  that  he  died  in  1628, 
when  engaged  in  a  naval  expedition. 

R3 


'i 


1i : 


|ii 


Vi..a.i  i 


198 


EARLY  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


^i 


The  English,  after  Baffin's  expedition  appeared 
to  have  shut  out  all  prospect  of  discovery  in  the  more 
northern  seas,  confined  for  a  long  time  all  their  ef- 
forts in  the  direction  of  Hudson's  Bay.  As  these 
did  not  lead  to  any  important  results,  and  are  chiefly 
connected  with  the  remoter  settlements  of  America, 
we  shall  introduce  here  only  a  very  slight  sketch  of 
them. 

Captains  Fox  and  James  were  fitted  out  in  1631. 
The  former  examined  two  passages  leading  to  the 
northward,  one  on  the  western  side  of  Southampton 
Island,  called  Sir  Thomas  Roe's  Welcome;  the 
other  on  the  eastern  side,  called  from  himself  Fox's 
Channel ;  but  he  did  not  trace  either  to  any  great 
height.  James,  entangled  in  the  southern  extremity 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  spent  a  winter  under  the  most  ex- 
treme suffering  from  cold,  and  returned  next  summer 
to  England. 

About  1668  a  settlement  was  formed  in  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  an  extensive  company  established  for  the 
traflic  in  furs ;  but  this  association,  though  bound  by 
their  charter  to  make  the  most  strenuous  exertions 
for  the  discovery  of  a  western  passage,  concerned 
themselves  very  little  with  the  subject  till  1719,  when 
they  were  in  a  manner  compelled  to  fit  out  an  expe- 
dition under  Knight  and  Barlow.  These  ofiScers, 
however,  never  returned,  and  a  vessel  sent  next  year 
under  Captain  Scroggs  could  learn  no  tidings  of  them. 
Nor  was  it  till  nearly  fifty  years  afterward  that  the 
wrecks  of  their  armament  were  found  on  Marble 
Island,  where  they  appear  to  have  been  cast  ashore 
and  lost. 

In  1741,  after  a  long  interval.  Captain  Middl^ton, 
supported  by  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Dobbs,  ob- 
tained the  command  of  two  vessels,  with  which  he 
sailed  up  the  Welcome.  He  came  to  a  long  inlet 
called  the  Wager,  but  it  appeared  quite  enclosed  by 
land,  with  a  river  falling  into  it.  Proceeding  to  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  Welcome,  he  tound  a 


i  I' 


EARLY   NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


109 


t1 


Spacious  opening,  that  afforded  at  first  the  greatest 
hopes ;  but,  findinpf  it  also  shut  in  by  land,  he  named 
it  Repulse  Bay.  The  coast  then  taking  an  easterly 
direction,  he  followed  it  till  he  came  to  a  channel, 
which,  from  the  accumulation  of  ice  at  its  entrance, 
he  called  the  Frozen  Strait.  A  current  ran  through 
it,  which,  however,  appeared  to  him  to  be  merely  the 
one  that  had  entered  by  Hudson's  Straits,  and  pro- 
ceeded circuitously  round  Southampton  Island.  He 
returned  home,  expressing  a  decided  conviction  that 
no  practicable  passage  existed  in  that  direction. 

Mr.  Dobbs,  the  mover  of  the  expedition,  was 
deeply  disappointed  by  this  result;  and  from  his 
own  reflections,  and  the  statement  of  several  of  the 
inferior  officers,  became  convinced  that  Middleton 
liad  given  a  very  false  and  imperfect  statement  of  the 
facts.  Of  this  he  so  fully  convinced  both  the  Par- 
liment  and  the  nation,  that  £10,000  was  subscribed 
for  a  new  expedition,  and  a  reward  of  jE20,000  pro- 
mised to  the  discoverers  of  the  projected  passage. 
€aptains  Moor  and  Smith,  in  1746,  commanded  this 
armament,  which,  like  many  of  those  equipped  with 
peculiar  pomp  and  circumstance,  entirely  failed. 
They  merely  ascertained,  what  was  pretty  well 
known  before,  that  the  Wager  afforded  no  passage ; 
and,  after  spending  a  severe  winter  there,  returned 
next  season  to  England. 

It  appears,  by  notices  which  Mr.  Barrow  has  drawn 
from  the  Admiralty  records,  that  the  armed  brig 
Lion  was  sent  in  1776,  under  Lieutenant  Pickersgil^ 
and  in  1777,  under  Lieutenant  Young,  with  the  view 
of  acting  in  concert  with  Captain  Cook,  who,  in  his 
third  voyage,  might,  it  was  hoped,  make  his  way 
round  from  Behring's  Straits  mto  the  Atlantic. 
These  officers  reached  respectively  the  latitudes  of 
68°  and  72°,  without  effecting  or  sdmost  attemptmg 
any  thing  farther. 


:'ii' 


<  f  ■■■ 


jtMJl'rt'' 


\k  i 


'\  : 


200 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


'4 


.   ';! 


1         '^ 


r:HAPTER  VIT. 

Recent  Voyages  for  the  Discovery  of  a  North-west 

Passage, 

Britain  had  seen  other  nations  carry  off  all  the 
great  prizes  in  naval  discovery.  She  had  scarcely  a 
vessel  on  the  ocean,  wrhen  the  nations  of  the  Iberian 
peninsula  laid  open  new  worlds,  and  appropriated  the 
golden  treasures  of  the  east  and  of  the  west.  Her 
energies  being  once  roused,  her  efforts  were  from  the 
beginning  bold  and  adventurous,  though  sometimes 
made  with  inadequate  means,  on  a  small  scale,  and 
often  with  a  disastrous  issue.  Advancing,  however, 
with  regular  steps,  she  first  rivalled  and  finally  sur- 
passed all  other  modem  nations.  The  reigns  of 
George  III.  and  of  his  eldest  son  formed  the  era 
which  decided  both  her  maritime  supremacy  and  her 
special  eminence  in  the  department  of  discovery. 
She  achieved  almost  entirely  the  exploration  of  the 
vast  expanse  of  the  South  Sea,  with  its  great  and 
numerous  islands,  leaving  to  the  rival  exertions  of 
France  only  a  scanty  gleaning.  The  revolutionary 
war  for  some  time  attracted  exclusively  the  attention 
and  resources  of  the  nation ;  but  as  soon  as  a  series 
of  signal  triumphs  had  left  Britain  without  an  enemy 
to  contend  with  in  the  seas  of  Europe,  she  looked 
again  to  this  theatre  of  her  former  glory.  Even 
amid  the  din  of  arms,  the  African  Association  pur- 
sued their  enlightened  and  philanthropic  course ;  and 
the  important  and  brilliant  issues  to  which  it  had  led 
finally  induced  the  government  to  take  an  interest  in 
this  undertaking,  and  apply  to  it  resources  which  no 
private  body  could  command.  Mr.  Barrow,  who,  by 
his  personal  observation,  had  illustrated  some  of  the 


i    ) 


h-west 


all  the 
rcely  a 
Iberian 
ted  the 
.    Her 
om  the 
etimes 
le,  and 
wever, 
ly  sur- 
^s  of 
he  era 
ind  her 
jovery. 
of  the 
at  and 
ons  of 
ionary 
;ention 
series 
enemy 
looked 
Even 
n  pur- 
3;  and 
lad  led 
rest  in 
ich  no 
ho,  by 
of  the 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


20{ 


most  important  quarters  both  of  this  and  of  other 
continents,  took  the  chief  direction ;  prompting  and 
guiding  every  step  with  an  energetic  perseverance 
and  practical  judgment  which  had  never  been  ex- 
tended in  an  equal  degree  to  similar  objects.  The 
measures  midertaken  with  respect  to  Africa,  with 
their  varied  and  eventful  results,  do  not  come  within 
the  compass  of  the  present  work.  But  when  the 
spirit  was  once  roused,  it  did  not  confine  itself  to  a 
single  point.  The  northern  seas,  as  a  theatre  of  ad- 
venture, had  been  unoccupied  for  half  a  century 
There  prevailed,  indeed,  a  general  impression,  that 
so  many  expeditions  ujidertaken  in  vain  had  set  that 
great  question  at  rest ;  but  when  Mr.  Barrow  applied 
to  it  the  powers  of  his  vigorous  and  penetrating  judg- 
ment, he  became  sensible  that  this  conclusion  was 
quite  groundless.  Baffin  had  once  sailed  round  that 
great  s'^a,  which  by  him,  and  from  him,  was  called  a 
bay ;  but  his  examination  had  been  quite  superficial, 
and  insufficient  to  establish  that  continuity  of  land 
with  which  the  maps  had  so  thoroughly  enclosed  it. 
There  were  even  striking  facts  indicating  that  there 
was  a  communication  with  the  Greenland  sea  on  the 
one  side  and  the  Polar  basin  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  on 
the  other.  Even  in  regard  to  Hudson's  Bay,  no  pro- 
gress had  been  made  since  Parliament  had  offered  a 
reward  of  jE20,000,  and  sent  out  the  large  expedition 
under  the  Captains  Moor  and  Smith.  Thus  the  grand 
question  in  which  the  country  had  long  taken  so  deep 
an  interest  was  still  open ;  and  to  decide  it  nothing 
more  seemed  necessary  than  that  skill  and  undaunted 
courage,  of  which  British  seamen  had  shown  them- 
selves so  eminently  possessed. 

In  1818,  the  Admiralty  fitted  out  two  expeditions ; 
one  destined  for  the  discovery  of  the  north-west  pass- 
age, the  other  to  attempt  a  voyage  across  the  Pole. 
The  first,  which  is  the  one  we  are  at  present  to  follow 
consisted  of  the  Isabella  of  385  tons,  commanded 
by  Captain  John  Ross,  an  officer  of  reputation  and 


I 

"^1 


'4 


ill 


iK 


•I  " 


(i 


» 


ll 


-I    It 


'I 


1 


nt"?! 


202 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES 


I,  , 


experienced  who  had  twice  wintered  in  the  Baltic,  had 
been  employed  in  surveying  thb  White  Sea,  and 
been  as  far  north  as  Bear  or  Cherie  Island.  Another 
vessel,  the  Alexander  of  253  tons,  was  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Pany,  a  young  officer  of  rising  merit, 
who  has  sincQ  amply  justified  the  choice  which  was 
made  by  his  employers. 

On  the  18th  April  the  vessels  dropped  down  the 
Thames,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  were  off  the 
Shetland  Islands.  By  the  27th  May  they  came  in 
view  of  Cape  Farewell ;  round  which,  as  usual,  were 
floating  numerous  and  lofty  icebergs  of  the  most 
varied  forms  and  tints.  On  the  14th  June  they  reached 
the  Whale  Islands,  where  they  were  informed  by  the 
governor  of  the  Danish  settlement,  that  the  past 
winter  had  been  uncommonly  severe,  the  neigh- 
bouring bays  and  straits  having  been  all  frozen  two 
months  earlier  than  usual,  and  that  some  of  the 
channels  northward  of  his  station  were  still  bound 
in  with  the  ice.  A  curious  statement  was  here  made, 
that  the  Esquimaux,  by  their  own  account,  could  see 
across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  bay,  though  not  less 
than  two  hundred  miles,  which  would  be  an  extra- 
ordinary instance  of  the  power  of  refraction;  but 
the  ice,  it  may  be  observed,  often  presents  deceptive 
appearances  of  land.  On  the  17th  June,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Waygat  Island,  an  impenetrable 
barrier  obliged  the  discoverers  to  stop  their  course, 
making  themselves  fast  to  an  iceberg,  and  having 
forty-five  whale-ships  in  company.  Observations 
made  on  land  proved  this  island  to  be  misplaced  on 
the  maps  by  no  less  than  five  degrees  of  longitude. 
At  length  the  ice  attached  to  the  eastern  shore  broke 
up,  though  still  forming  a  continuous  and  impenetia- 
ble  rampart  at  some  distance  to  the  westward,  in 
which  direction  it  had  drifted ;  but  in  the  intermediate 
space  they  were  enabled  to  move  forward  slowly 
along  the  coast,  labouring  through  narrow  and 
intricate  channels,  amid  mountains  and  loose  frag* 


m 
to 
ca 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


203 


!'■  IS 


mcnts  of  ice.  They  steered  their  course,  however, 
to  the  higher  parts  of  the  bay,  and  in  about  lat.  75** 
came  to  a  coast  which  had  not  been  visited  by  former 
navigators.  They  were  stnick,  as  Baffin  had  been, 
by  the  great  number  of  whales  which  were  slum- 
bering securely  in  these  deep  recesses,  never  having 
been  alarmed  by  the  harpoon.  On  the  7th  August, 
in  the  same  latitude,  a  heavy  gale  sprung  up,  and 
driving  the  ice  against  the  vessels,  made  a  display 
of  its  terrible  and  dangerous  power.  A  trial  of 
strength  ensued  between  the  ice  and  the  ships ;  being 
dashed  against  each  other  with  such  force,  that  the 
anchors  and  cables  were  successively  broken,  and  a 
boat,  which  could  not  be  withdrawn  from  between 
their  sterns,  was  crushed  to  pieces.  Providentially, 
when  instant  destruction  was  expected,  the  icy  mass 
receded,  and  the  ships,  owing  to  the  extraordinary 
strength  of  their  construction,  escaped  without  ma- 
terial injury. 

Proceeding  along  a  high  mountainous  coast,  the 
expedition  came  to  a  tribe  of  Esquimaux,  who,  of 
all  human  beings,  seem  to  exist  in  a  state  of  the 
deepest  seclusion.  They  had  never  before  seen  men 
belonging  to  the  civilized  world,  or  of  a  race  differ- 
ent from  their  own.  The  first  small  party  whom 
the  navigators  approached  showed  every  sign  of  the 
deepest  alarm ;  dreading,  as  was  afterward  under- 
stood, a  fatal  influence  from  the  mere  touch  of  these 
beings  of  an  unknown  species.  Yet  they  seem  to 
have  felt  a  secret  attraction  towards  the  strangers, 
and  advanced,  holding  fast  the  long  knives  lodged 
in  their  boots,  and  looking  significantly  at  each 
other.  Having  come  to  a  chasm  whicJ  separated 
them  from  the  English,  they  made  earnest  signs  that 
only  Saccheous  the  interpreter,*  who  bore  a  certain 

♦  Thin  young  nmn  was  n  nnti  vr  of  Orecnland,  who  had  accompanied 
the  Thomas  mid  y\nn,  Cnpiain  Nfwtr>n,  one  of  the  Leith  whalera,  on 
her  homeward  voynun  in  1^10;  mid  tU*'.  following  year  he  went  out  to 
the  fuhery,  returning  a  second  time  to  Europe.    During  this  period 


,d' 


,t 


il 


i.t] 


f 


'h 


;.f 


f  1 


"*" 


!; 


li 


">  i 


204 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


*  1 


/  ' 


!   f 


resemblance  to  themselves,  should  come  across.  He 
went  forward  and  offered  his  hand.  They  shrunk 
back  for  some  time  in  alarm ;  at  length  the  boldest 
touched  it,  and,  finding  it  flesh  and  blood,  set  up  a 
loud  shout,  which  three  others  joined.  The  rest  of 
the  party  then  came  up,  to  the  number  of  eight,  with 
60  dogs,  which  joined  with  their  masters  in  raising  a 
tremendous  clamor.  Ross  and  Parn'  now  thought 
it  time  to  come  forward.  This  movement  excited 
alarm,  and  a  tendency  to  retreat ;  but  Saccheous 
having  taught  these  officers  to  pull  their  noses,  this 
sign  of  amity  was  graciously  accepted.  A  mirror 
was  now  held  up  to  them,  on  seeing  their  faces  m 
which  they  showed  the  most  extreme  astonishment ; 
they  looked  round  on  each  other  a  few  moments  in 
silence,  then  set  up  a  general  shout,  succeeded  by  a 
loud  laugh  of  delight  and  surprise.  The  ship  was 
then  the  next  object  of  their  speculation.  They  be- 
gan by  endeavouring  to  ascertain  its  nature  by  inter- 
rogating itself;  for  they  conceived  it  to  be  a  huge 
bird  spreading  its  vast  wings  and  endowed  with 
reason.  One  of  them,  pulling  his  nose  with  the 
utmost  solemnity,  began  an  address, "  Who  are  you  T 
Whence  come  you  ?  Is  it  from  the  sun  or  the  moon  ?'* 
The  ship  remaining  silent,  they  at  length  applied  to 
Saccheous,  who  assured  them  that  it  was  a  frame  of 
timber,  the  work  of  human  art.  To  them,  however, 
who  had  never  seen  any  wood  but  slight  twigs  and 
stunted  heath,  its  immense  planks  and  masts  were 
objects  of  amazement.     What  animal,  they  also 


being  intelligent  and  docile,  he  made  no  nienn  proficiency  in  a  course 
of  elementary  study,  in  the  prosecutiun  of  wliich  he  received  every  as- 
sistnnce  from  his  t'rionda  in  Leith.  On  iha  equipment  of  the  Arctic 
expedition,  his  wishes  to  accompany  tlie  diEcovery-shipa  having  been 
communicated  to  government  through  the  medium  of  Captain  Basil 
Hall,  he  was  immediately  engaged  as  Interpreter.  His  services  in  that 
capacity,  aa  the  narrative  shows,  were  of  eminent  utility;  and,  on  his 
return,  the  Admiralty,  desirous  to  have  him  properly  instructed,  in  the 
event  of  a  future  expedition,  sent  him  to  Edinburgh  for  that  purpose. 
Here,  however,  in  tlio  ensuing  spring,  he  was  unfortunately  attacked 
with  an  inflammatory  fever,  which  carried  him  off  in  a  few  dayi 


Ij     » 


ss.  He 
shrunk 
boldest 
\et  up  a 
I  rest  of 
ht,  with 
aising-  a 
thought 
excited 
ccheous 
ses,  this 
I  mirror 
faces  m 
shment ; 
nents  in 
led  by  a 
ihip  was 
^hey  be- 
jy  inter- 
a  huge 
ed  with 
ath  the 
re  you  T 
moon  ?" 
•plied  to 
rame  of 
owever, 
'^igs  and 
ts  were 
3y  also 


n  a  course 
every  as- 
:he  Arctic 
ving  been 
tain  Basil 
ea  in  that 
nd,  on  hia 
ed,  in  the 
purpose, 
attaclced 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


205 


asked,  could  furnish  those  enormous  skins  which 
were  spread  for  the  sails.  Their  admiration  was 
soon  followed  by  a  desire  to  possess  some  of  the 
objects  which  met  their  eyes,  but  with  little  cere- 
mony or  discrimination  as  to  the  means  of  effecting 
their  end.  They  attempted  first  a  spare  topmast, 
then  an  anchor ;  and  these  proving  too  ponderous, 
one  of  them  tried  the  smith's  anvil ;  but,  finding  it 
fixed,  made  oflf  at  least  with  the  large  hammor. 
Another  wonder  for  them  was  to  see  the  sailors 
mounting  to  the  topmast ;  nor  was  it  without  much 
hesitation  that  they  ventured  their  own  feet  in  the 
shrouds.  A  little  terrier  dog  appeared  to  them  a 
contemptible  object,  wholly  unfit  for  drawing  burdens 
or  being  yoked  in  a  sledge,  while  the  gnint  of  a  hog 
filled  them  with  alarm. 

This  tribe,  in  features,  form,  and  even  language, 
belong  evidently  to  the  Esquimaux, — a  race  widely 
diffused  over  all  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  ocean.  They 
appear  to  have  little  or  no  communication  with  the 
rest,  and  amid  the  general  resemblance  have  some 
distinguishing  characters.  The  boat,  large  or  small, 
which  we  almost  instinctively  associate  with  our 
idea  of  the  Greenlander,  is  here  wholly  unknown. 
Much  of  their  food  is  found  within  the  deep,  but  is 
procured  merely  by  walking  over  the  icy  surface, 
which  incrusts  it  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
Yet  they  have  one  important  advantage,  not  only 
over  other  Esquimaux,  but  over  tUe  most  civilized 
of  the  native  Americans.  The  country  affords  iron, 
which,  being  flattened  by  sharp  stones,  and  inserted 
in  a  handle  made  of  the  horn  of  the  sea-unicorn, 
forms  knives  much  more  efficient  than  those  framed 
of  bone  by  the  neighbouring  hordes.  Again,  unlike 
the  other  tribes,  thej?^  have  a  king,  who  rules  seem- 
ingly with  gentle  sway ;  for  they  described  him  as 
strong,  very  good,  and  very  much  beloved.  The  dis- 
coverers did  not  visit  the  court  of  this  Arctic  poten- 
tate ;  but  they  understood  that  he  drew  a  tribute^ 


h 


■41 


i 


% 


: 


H 


I  I  ■ 


206 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


f  i  : 


consisting  of  train-oil,  seal-skins,  and  the  bone  of 
the  unicorn.  Like  other  Greenlanders,  they  had 
sledges  drawn  by  large  and  powerful  teams  of  dogs ; 
their  chase  was  chiefly  confined  to  hares,  foxes  of 
various  colours,  the  seal,  and  the  narwal.  They  re- 
jected with  horror  the  perverted  luxuries  of  biscuit, 
sweatmeats,  or  spirits ;  train-oil,  as  it  streamed  from 
the  seal  and  the  unicorn,  alone  gratified  their  palate. 
Captain  Ross,  swayed  by  national  impressions,  gave 
to  this  tribe  the  name  of  Arctic  Highlanders, 

In  the  northern  part  of  this  coast  the  navigators 
observed  a  remarkable  phenomenon, — a  range  of 
cliffs,  the  snowy  covering  of  which  had  exchanged 
its  native  white  for  a  tint  of  dark  crimson.  This 
red  snow  was  not  only  examined  on  the  spot,  but  a 
portion  of  it  was  brought  to  England,  and  was  ana- 
lyzed by  the  most  learned  men  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  who  have  entertained  various  opinions  as 
to  the  origin  of  the  colour.  The  latest  observations, 
as  else wl  ere  observed,  have  established  its  vegetable 


origin. 


Having  now  passed  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  Captain 
Ross  found  himself  among  those  spacious  sounds 
which  Baffin  had  named,  but  so  imperfectly  de- 
scribed. He  seems,  however,  to  have  followed  the 
same  hasty  method.  On  looking  up  an  inlet  or 
opening,  and  seeing  it,  at  whatever  distance,  appa- 
rently closed  by  land,  he  pronounced  it  at  once  a 
bay,  and  deemed  farther  investigation  superfluous. 
Too  much  importance  seems  also  to  have  been 
attached  to  barriers  of  ice,  which  in  many  cases  were 
only  temporary.  He  sailed  past  Wolstenholme  and 
Whale  Sounds  very  quickly,  without  approaching 
even  their  entrance ;  concluding  them  to  oe  blocked 
up  with  ice,  and  to  aflbrd  no  hope  of  a  passage.  As 
these  openings  stretched  towards  the  north,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  they  could  nc-  m.  this  high  latitude 
be  considered  very  favourable  as  to  a  western  route. 
He  came  next  to  Sir  Thomas  Smithes  Sound,  which 


e: 


one  of 
»y  had 
dogs; 
ixes  of 
hey  re- 
biscuit, 
id  from 
palate. 
IS,  gave 

rigators 
nge  of 
hanged 
This 
it,  but  a 
'as  ana- 
ime  and 
lions  as 
vations, 
getable 

Captain 
sounds 
'tly  de- 
wed the 
inlet  or 
!e,  appa- 
t  once  a 
erfiuous. 
ve  been 
ses  were 
»lme  and 
roaching 
blocked 
ige.  As 
,  it  must 
latitude 
rn  route, 
d,  which 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


207 


we  may  recollect  Baffin  to  have  described  as  the 
most  spacious  and  promising  in  the  whole  circuit  of 
these  coasts.  It  was  viewed  with  greater  attention ; 
but  Captain  Ross  considered  himself  as  having  dis- 
tinctly seen  it,  at  the  distance  of  eighteen  leagues, 
completely  enclosed  by  land.  The  space  appears  too 
great  for  so  positive  an  inference,  and  the  belief  that 
ice  barred  its  entrance  seems  to  have  been  adopted 
on  very  slight  grounds.  He  came  next  to  a  spacious 
bay,  which  had  liitherto  been  unknown  and  unob- 
served,— afterward  to  that  which  Baffin  had  called 
Alderman  Jones's  Sound ;  but  in  respect  to  both,  the 
ice  at  their  entrance,  and  the  apparent  boundary  of 
high  land  in  the  interior,  led,  as  in  the  other  in- 
stances, to  a  prompt  and  unfavourable  conclusion. 

The  season  was  now  somewhat  advanced,  the 
end  of  August  approached,  the  sun  set  after  a  per- 
petual day  of  two  months  and  a  half,  and  a  thick 
fog  rendered  the  lengthening  nights  more  gloomy. 
The  land,  seen  at  some  distance,  consisted  of  very 
high  and  steep  mountains,  presenting,  however, 
some  spots  fit  for  human  habitation.  An  opening, 
forty-five  miles  wide,  to  the  southward  of  a  promon- 
tory which  was  named  Cape  Charlotte,  was  decided 
against  m  the  usual  summary  manner.  On  the 
30th  August,  the  expedition  came  to  a  most  mag- 
nificent inlet,  bordered  by  lofty  mountains  of  peculiar 
grandeur,  while  the  water,  being  clear  and  free  from 
ice,  presented  so  tempting  an  appearance  that  it  was 
impossible  to  refraia  from  entering.  This  channel, 
which  soon  proved  to  be  the  Lancaster  Sound  of  Baf- 
fin, was  ascended  for  thirty  miles;  during  which  run 
officers  and  men  crowded  the  topmast,  filled  with 
enthusiastic  hope,  and  judging  that  it  afforded  much 
fairer  hopes  of  success  than  any  of  those  so  hastily 
passed.  Captain  Ross  however,  and  those  whom 
ne  consulted,  never  showed  those  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. He  soon  thought  that  he  discovered  a  high 
ridge  stretching  directly  across  the  inlet  t  and  though 


1 


k 


'  f  * 


I 


I 


•V 


■^   J    d 


208 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


■A 


i    i  ui 


•  •'    I- 


yi    i 


a  great  part  of  it  was  deeply  involved  in  mist,  yet 
a  passage  in  this  direction  was  judged  to  be  hope- 
less. The  sea  being  open,  however,  the  commander 
proceeded ;  but  about  twelve  o'clock  Mr.  Beverley, 
the  assistant-surgeon,  came  down  from  the  crow's 
nest,  stating,  that  he  had  seen  the  land  stretching 
very  nearly  across  the  entire  bay.  Hereupon,  it  is 
said,  all  hopes  were  renounced,  even  by  the  most 
sanguine,  and  Captain  Ross  sailedonward  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  making  some  magnetical  observa- 
tions. 

At  three  o'clock,  the  sky  having*  cleared,  the 
commander  himself  went  on  deck,  when  he  states 
that  he  distinctly  saw  across  the  bottom  of  the  bay 
a  chain  of  mountains  continuous  and  connected 
with  those  which  formed  its  opposite  shores.  The 
weather  then  becoming  unsettled,  he  made  the  sig- 
nal to  steer  the  vessels  out  of  Lancaster  Sound. 
Lieutenant  Parry,  however,  declares  that  to  him,  in 
the  Isabella,  this  signal  appeared  altogether  myste- 
rious, being  himself  full  of  the  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations, and  seeing  no  ground  whatever  foi 
this  abrupt  retreat ;  but  his  duty  obliged  him  to 
follow. 

On  regaining  the  entrance  of  this  great  channel, 
Captain  Ross  continued  to  steer  southward  along  the 
western  shore  of  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis's  Strait,  with- 
out seeing  any  entrance  which  afforded  equal  pro- 
mise. Cumberland  Strait  alone  was  similar  in  mag- 
nitude ;  but  it  could  lead  only  into  the  higher  lati- 
tudes of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  afforded  thus  little  chance 
of  a  free  passage  into  the  Arctic  sea.  After  suivey 
r'ng,"  therefore,  some  of  these  shores,  he  returned 
home  early  in  October. 

The  Captain  arrived  in  England  under  the  most 
decided  conviction,  that  Baffin's  observations  had 
been  perfectly  correct,  and  that  Lancaster  Sound 
was  a  bay,  affording  no  entrance  into  any  western 
sea.    If  even  any  strait  existed  between  the  moun* 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


209 


list,  yet 
hope- 
mander 
jverley, 
crow's 
etching 
on,  it  is 
le  most 
rely  for 
bserva- 

ed,  the 
;  states 
he  bay 
inected 
;.  The 
the  sig- 
Sound. 
him,  in 
myste- 
ine  ex- 
rer  for 
him  to 

hannel, 
ong"  the 
it,  with- 
lal  pro- 
n  mag. 
er  lati- 
chance 
jurvey 
Jturned 

e  most 
ns  had 
Sound 
i^estern 
moun* 


tains,  it  must,  he  conceived,  be  for  ever  innavi- 
gable on  account  of  the  ice  with  which  it  is  filled. 
The  intelligent  individuals,  however,  who  L  "  fitted 
out  the  expedition  with  such  zeal  and  on  so  great 
a  scale,  felt  deep  dissatisfaction  both  at  this  con- 
clusion and  at  the  premises  from  which  it  had  been 
drawn.  The  grounds,  in  particular,  on  which  Lan- 
caster Sound,  an  opening  so  noble  and  so  spacious, 
and  in  a  position  so  favourable  in  respect  to  west- 
ern discovery,  had  been  so  abruptly  quitted,  ap- 
peared wholly  inadmissible.  The  same  opinion  was 
very  decidedly  espoused  by  several  of  the  officers, 
and  especially  by  Lieutenant  Parry,  who  was  second 
in  command,  but  had  never  been  consulted  on  the 
occasion,  and  who  declared  the  relinquishment  of 
all  attempt  at  discovery  at  that  crisis  to  be  in  his 
eyes  completely  unaccountable.  It  was  determined 
in  short,  that  a  fresh  expedition  should  be  equipped 
and  intrusted  to  Mr.  Parry,  that  he  might  fulfil,  if 
possible,  his  own  sanguine  hopes  and  those  of  his 
employers.  He  was  furnished  with  the  Hecla  of 
375  tons,  and  a  crew  of  fifty-eight  men ;  and  with 
the'tSriper  gun-brig  of  180  tons,  and  thirty-six  men, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Liddon.  These  ships 
were  made  as  strong  and  as  well-fitted  as  possible 
for  the  navigation  of  the  Arctic  seas ;  and  were 
stored  with  ample  provisions  for  two  years,  a  copious 
supply  of  antiscorbutics,  and  every  thing  which 
could  enable  the  crews  to  endure  the  most  extreme 
rigours  of  a  Polar  winter. 

Lieutenant  Parry,  destined  to  outstrip  all  his 
predecessors  in  the  career  of  Arctic  discovery ,  weighed 
anchor  from  the  Nore  on  the  11th  May  (1819),  an(J 
on  the  20th  rounded  the  most  northerly  point  of 
the  Orkneys.  He  endeavoured  to  cross  the  Atlantic 
about  the  parallel  of  68°,  and  though  impeded  during 
the  first  fortnight  of  June  by  a  series  of  unfavourable 
weather,  obtained  on  the  15th,  from  the  distance 
apparently  of  not  less  than  forty  leagues*  a  view  of 

S2 


I  Hi 


'  ,  m 


210 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


the  lofty  cliffs  composing  Cape  Farewell.  On  the 
18th  the  ships  first  fell  in  with  icebergs,  the  air 
being  also  filled  with  petrels,  kittiwakes,  terns, 
and  other  winged  inhabitants  of  the  northern  sky. 
Parry  now  made  an  effort  to  push  north  and  west, 
through  the  icy  masses,  in  the  direction  of  Lan- 
caster Sound ;  but  these  suddenly  closed  upon  him ; 
and  on  the  25th  the  two  ships  were  so  immove- 
ably  beset,  that  no  power  could  turn  their  heads  a 
single  point  of  the  compass.  The  vessels  remained 
thus  fixed,  but  safe,  when,  on  the  morning  of  the 
second  day,  a  heavy  roll  of  the  sea  loosened  the 
ice,  and  drove  its  masses  against  them  with  such 
violence  that  only  their  very  strong  construction 
saved  them  from  severe  injury.  The  discoverers 
therefore  were  fain  to  extricate  themselves  as  soon 
as  possible ;  and,  resigning  the  idea  of  reaching  Lan- 
caster Sound  by  the  most  diiect  route,  began  to 
coast  northward  along  the  border  of  this  great  icy 
field,  till  they  should  find  open  water.  In  this  pro- 
gress they  verified  the  observation  of  Davis,  that  in 
the  narrowest  part  of  the  great  sea,  misnamed  his 
Strait,  the  shores  on  eac)\  side  could  be  discovered 
at  the  same  moment.  Thus  they  proceeded,  till 
they  reached  the  Women's  Islands,  and  Hope  San- 
derson, in  about  latitude  73°.  As  every  step  was 
now  likely  to  carry  them  farther  from  their  destina- 
tion, Parry  determined  upon  a  desperate  push  to  the 
westward.  Favoured  with  a  moderate  breeze,  the 
ships  were  run  into  the  detached  pieces  and  floes  of 
ice,  through  which  they  were  heaved  with  hawsers ; 
but  the  obstacles  became  always  heavier,  till  they 
were  completely  beset,  and  a  heavy  fog  coming  on, 
made  them  little  able  to  take  advantage  of  any 
favourable  change.  Yet  in  the  course  of  a  week, 
though  repeatedly  and  sometimes  dangerously  beset, 
they  warped  their  way  from  lane  to  lane  of  open 
water,  till  only  one  lengthened  floe  separated  them 
from  a  wide  open  sea  to  the  westward.    By  labo* 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGE 


2  I 


On  the 
the  air 
,  terns, 
m  sky. 
id  west, 
)f  Lan- 
)n  him ; 
mmove- 
leads  a 
mained 

I  of  the 
led  the 
th  such 
tniction 
loverers 
as  soon 
ag  Lan- 
3gan  to 
•eat  icy 
lis  pro- 
that  in 
tied  his 
covered 
ed,  till 
)e  San- 
;ep  was 
lestina- 
i  to  the 
ize,  the 
floes  of 
iwsers ; 

II  they 
ling  on, 
of  any 
,  week, 
Y  beset, 
)f  open 
d  them 
ly  labo- 


riously sawing  through  this  obstruction,  they  were 
able  to  penetrate  finally  the  great  icy  barrier,  and  saw 
the  western  shore,  clear  ofice,  extending  before  them. 

The  navigators  now  bore  directly  down  upon  Lan- 
caster Sound,  and  on  the  30th  July  found  them- 
selves  at  its  entrance.  They  felt  an  extraordinary 
emotion  as  they  recognised  this  magnificent  chan- 
nel, with  the  lofty  cliffs  by  which  it  was  guarded, 
aware  that  a  very  shoit  time  would  decide  the  fate 
of  their  grand  undertaking.  They  were  tantalized, 
however,  by  a  fresh  breeze  coming  directly  down 
the  Sound,  which  suffered  them  to  make  only  very 
slow  progress.  There  was  no  appearance,  however, 
of  obstruction  either  from  ice  or  land,  and  even  the 
heavy  swell  which  came  down  the  inlet,  driving  the 
water  repeatedly  in  at  the  stem-windows,  was  hailed 
as  an  indication  of  open  sea  to  the  westward.  The 
Hecla  left  the  Griper  behind,  but  still  without  mak- 
ing any  great  way  herself  till  the  3d  August,  when 
an  easterly  breeze  sprung  up,  carrying  both  vessels 
rapidly  forward.  A  crowd  of  sail  was  set,  and  they 
pushed  triumphantly  to  the  westward.  Their  minds 
were  filled  with  anxious  hope  and  suspense.  The 
mast-heads  were  crowded  with  officers  and  men, 
and  the  successive  reports  brought  down  from  the 
topmast  pinnacle,  called  the  crow's  nest,  were  eagerly 
listened  to.  Their  course  was  still  unobstructed. 
They  passed  various  headlands,  with  several  wide 
openings  towards  the  north  and  south,  which  they 
hastily  named  Croker  Bay,  Navy  Board  Inlet,  &c. ; 
but  these  it  was  not  their  present  object  to  explore. 
The  wind,  freshening  more  and  more,  carried  them 
happily  forward,  till  at  midnight  they  found  them- 
selves in  longitude  83°  12',  nearly  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  grand  inlet,  which 
still  retained  a  breadth  of  fifty  miles.  The  success 
of  the  expedition,  they  fondly  hoped,  was  now  to  a 
great  extent  decided. 

The  Hecla,  at  this  time,  slackened  her  course  to 


*. ;   < 


!  f 


If  1  > 


: 


212 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


i:i!' 


!'■•  • 


1  .: 


i 


allow  her  companion  to  come  up,  which  she  did  in 
longitude  85°.    They  together  proceeded  to  longi- 
tude 86°  3(y,  and  found  two  other  inlets,  which 
they  named  Burnet  and  Stratton ;  then  a  bold  cape 
named  Fellfoot,  forming  apparently  the  termination 
of  this  long  line  of  coast.    The  lengthened  swell 
which  still  rolled  in  from  the  north  and  west,  with 
the  oceanic  colour  of  the  waters,  inspired  the  flat- 
tering hope  that  they  had  already  passed  the  region 
of  straits  and  inlets,  and  were  now  wafted  along  the 
"wide  expanse  of  the  Polar  basin.    Nothing,  in  short, 
it  was  hoped,  would  henceforth  obstruct  their  pro- 
gress to  Icy  Cape,  the  western  boundary  of  America. 
An  alarm  of  land  was  given,  but  it  proved  to  arise 
only  from  an  island  of  no  great  extent.    However, 
more  land  was  soon  discovered  beyond  Cape  Fell- 
foot,  which  was  ascertained  to  be  the  entrance  to  a 
noble  bay,  extending  on  their  right,  which  they  named 
Maxwell  Bay.    An  uninterrupted  range  of  sea  still 
stretched  out  before  them,  though  they  were  some- 
what discomposed  by  seeing  on  the  south  a  line  of 
continuous  ice ;  but  it  left  an  open  route  before  them, 
and  they  hoped  to  And  it  merely  a  detached  stream.  A 
little  space  onwards,  however,  they  discovered,  with 
deep  dismay,  this  ice  to  be  joined  to  a  compact  and 
impenetrable  body  of  floes,  which  completely  crossed 
the  channel,  and  joined  the  western  point  of  Max- 
well Bay.    It  behooved  them,  therefore,  immediately 
to  draw  back,  to  avoid  being  embayed  in  ice,  along 
the  edges  of  which  a  violent  surf  was  then  beating. 
The  officers  began  to  amuse  themselves  with  fruitless 
attempts  to  catch  white  whales,  when  the  weather 
cleared,  and  they  saw  to  the  south  an  open  sea  with 
a  dark  water-sky.    Parry,  hoping  that  this  might 
lead  to  a  free  passage  in  a  lower  latitude,  steered 
m  this  direction,  and  found  himself  at  the  mouth 
of  a  great  inlet,  ten  leagues  broad,  with  no  visible 
termination ;  and  to  the  two  capes  at  its  entrance  ha 
gave  the  names  of  Clarence  and  Seppings 


mgi 
to 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


213 


The  mariners,  finding  the  western  shore  of  this  inlet 
deeply  encumbered  with  ice,  moved  across  to  the 
eastern,  where  they  found  a  broad  and  open  chai\ 
nel.  The  coast  was  the  most  dreary  and  desolate 
they  had  ever  beheld  even  in  the  Arctic  world,  pre- 
senting scarcely  a  semblance  either  of  animal  or  ve- 
getable life.  Navigation  was  rendered  more  arduous 
from  the  entire  irregularity  of  the  compass,  now  evi- 
dently approaching  to  the  magnetic  Pole,  and  show- 
ing an  excess  of  variation  which  they  vainly  attempted 
to  measure,  so  that  the  binnacles  were  laid  aside 
as  useless  lumber.  They  sailed  a  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  up  this  inlet,  and  its  augmenting  width 
inspired  them  with  corresponding  hopes;  when, 
with  extreme  consternation,  they  suddenly  perceived 
the  ice  to  diverge  from  its  parallel  course,  running 
close  in  with  a  point  of  land  which  appeared  to 
form  the  southern  extremity  of  the  eastern  shore. 
To  this  foreland  they  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Kater. 
The  western  horizon  also  appeared  covered  with 
heavy  and  extensive  floes,  a  bright  and  dazzling  ice- 
blink extending  from  shore  to  shore.  The  name  of 
the  Prince  Regent  was  given  to  this  spacious  inlet, 
which  Parry  strongly  suspected  must  have  a  com- 
munication with  Hudson's  Bay.  He  now  determined 
to  return  to  the  old  station,  and  watch  the  op- 
portunity when  the  relenting  ice  would  allow  the 
ships  to  proceed  westward.  That  station  was 
reached  not  without  some  difficulty,  amid  ice  and 
fog.  At  Prince  Leopold's  Islands,  on  the  15th,  the 
ice  was  as  impenetrable  as  ever,  with  a  bright  blink, 
and  from  the  top  of  a  high  hill  there  was  no  water 
to  be  seen ;  luckily  also  there  was  no  land.  On  the 
18th,  on  getting  once  more  close  to  the  northern 
shore,  the  navigators  began  to  make  a  little  way, 
and  some  showers  of  rain  and  snow,  accompanied 
with  heavy  wind,  produced  such  an  effect,  that  on 
the  21st  the  whole  ice  had  disappeared,  and  they 
could  scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the  same  sea  which. 


J 

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214 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


'    > 


I  i 


had  just  before  been  covered  with  floes  upon  floes  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

Mr.  Parry  now  crowded  all  sail  to  the  westward, 
and,  though  detained  by  want  of  wind,  he  passed 
Kadstock  Bay,  Capes  Hurd  and  Hotham,  and  Beechy 
Island ;  after  which  he  reached  a  fine  and  broad  inlet 
leading  to  the  north,  to  which  he  assigned  Welling- 
ton, the  greatest  name  of  the  age.  The  sea  up  this 
inlet  being  perfectly  open,  he  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated to  ascend  it,  had  there  not  been  before  him, 
along  the  south  coast  of  an  island  named  Comwal- 
lis,  an  open  channel,  leading  in  a  direction,  which, 
being  due  west,  he  could  have  no  hesitation  in  pre- 
ferring. Wellington  Inlet  was  now  considered  by 
the  navigators,  so  high  were  their  hopes,  as  forming 
the  western  boundary  of  the  land  stretching  from 
Baflin^s  Bay  to  the  Polar  Sea,  into  which  they  had 
little  doubt  they  were  entering.  For  this  reason  Cap- 
tain Parry  did  not  hesitate  to  give  to  the  great  chan- 
nel which  had  effected  so  desirable  a  junction  the 
merited  appellation  of  Barrow's  Strait,  after  the  much- 
esteemed  promoter  of  the  expedition.  A  favourable 
breeze  now  sprung  up,  and  the  adventurers  passed 
gayly  and  triumphantly  along  the  extensive  shore  of 
Comwallis  Island,  then  coasted  a  larger  island  named 
Bathurst,  and  next  a  smaller  one  called  Byam  Mar- 
tin. At  this  last  place,  they  judged,  by  some  expe- 
riments, that  they  had  passed  the  magnetic  meridian, 
situated,  probably,  in  about  100  degrees  west  longi- 
tude, and  where  the  compass  would  nave  pointed  due 
south  instead  of  due  north.  The  navigation  now  be- 
came extremely  difficult,  in  consequence  of  thick 
fogs,  which  not  only  froze  on  the  shrouds,  but,  as  the 
compass  was  also  useless,  took  away  all  means  of 
knowing  the  direction  in  which  they  sailed.  They 
were  obliged  to  trust  to  the  land  and  ice  preserving 
the  same  line,  and  sometimes  employed  the  most  odd 
expedients  for  ascertaining  the  precise  point.  They 
encountered  also  a  compact  floe  of  ice*  through 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


215 


floes  as 

istward, 

passed 
Beechy 
ad  inlet 
Velling- 

up  this 
ve  hesi- 
re  him, 
omwal- 
,  which, 
i  in  pre- 
jred  by 
forming 
ig  from 
hey  had 
on  Cap- 
It  chan- 
ion  the 
e  much- 
ourable 

passed 
ihore  of 
I  named 
m  M  ar- 
e  expe- 
eridian, 
t  longi- 
ted  due 
lowbe- 
f  thick 
,  as  tlie 
Bans  of 

They 
serving 
ost  odd 

They 
hrough 


which  they  were  obliged  to  bore  their  way  by  main 
force.  Through  all  these  obstacles  they  reached  the 
coast  of  an  island  larger  than  any  before  discovered, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Melville.  The  wind 
now  failed,  and  they  slowly  moved  forward  by  low- 
ing and  warping,  till,  on  the  4th  September,  Mr.  Parry 
could  announce  to  his  joyful  crew,  that,  having  reached 
the  longitude  of  110°  W.  they  were  become  entitled 
to  the  reward  of  jESOOO,  promised  by  Parliament  to 
the  first  crew  who  should  attain  that  meridian.  The 
mariners  pushed  forward  with  redoubled  ardour,  but 
soon  found  their  course  arrested  by  an  impenetrable 
icy  barrier.  They  waited  nearly  a  fortnight  in  hopes 
of  overcoming  it ;  till  about  the  30th  their  situation 
became  alarming.  The  young  ice  began  rapidly  to 
form  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  retarded  only  by 
winds  and  swells ;  so  that  Captain  Parry  was  con- 
vinced, in  the  event  of  a  single  hour's  calm,  that  he 
would  be  frozen  up  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  No  op- 
tion was  therefore  left  but  to  return,  and  to  choose 
between  two  apparently  good  harbours,  which  had 
been  recently  passed  on  Melville  Island.  Not  with- 
out difficulty  he  reached  this  place  by  the  24th,  and 
made  choice  of  the  most  western  harbour,  as  that 
alone  which  afforded  full  security ;  but  it  was  neces- 
sary to  cut  two  miles  through  a  large  floe  with  which 
it  was  filled.  To  effect  this  arduous  operation,  the 
seamen  marked  with  boarding-pikes  two  parallel 
lines,  at  the  distance  of  somewhat  more  than  the 
breadth  of  the  larger  ship.  They  sawed  along 
these  two  lines,  and  then  by  cross-sawings  detached 
large  pieces,  which  were  separated  diagonally  in 
order  to  be  floated  out ;  and  sometimes  boat  sails 
were  fastened  to  them  to  take  the  advantage  of  a 
favourable  breeze.  On  the  26th  the  ships  were  es- 
tablislicd  in  five  fathoms  water,  at  about  a  cable's 
length  from  the  beach.  For  some  time  the  ice  was 
daily  cleared  round  them;  but  this  was  soon  found 


f, 


216 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGDS. 


V. 


ti 


!*  I . 


ii  i 


an  endless  and  useless  labour,  and  they  were  allowed 
to  be  regularly  frozen  in  for  the  winter. 

Mr.  Parry  then  applied  himself  to  name  the  ex- 
tended group  of  large  islands  along  which  he  had 
passed.  He  called  them  at  first  New-Georgia ;  but, 
recollecting  that  this  appellation  had  been  pre-occu- 
pied  by  a  large  island  in  the  Pacific,  he  gave  the 
name  of  "  the  North  Georgian  Islands,"  after  his 
majesty  George  III.,  whose  reign  had  been  so  emi- 
nently distinguished  by  the  extension  of  nautical 
and  geographical  knowledge. 

The  commander,  finding  himself  and  his  ships 
shut  in  for  a  long  and  dreary  winter,  devoted  his  at- 
tention, with  judicious  activity,  and  a  mixture  of 
firmness  and  kindness,  to  mitigate  those  evils,  which, 
even  in  lower  latitudes,  had  often  rendered  an  Arctic 
wintering  so  fatal.    His  provisions  being  very  ample, 
he  allowed  the  sailors  weekly  a  pound  of  Donkin's 
preserved  meat,  and  a  pint  of  concentrated  soup,  in- 
stead of  a  pomid  of  salt  beef;  beer  and  wine  were 
served  instead  of  spirits;  and  a  certain  allowance 
w?is  made  of  sour-krout,  pickles,  and  vinegar.    The 
sailors  were  also  called  together  daily,  and  made  to 
swallow  a  quantity  of  lime-juice  and  sugar  in  pre- 
sence  of  the  officers,  their  improvidence  being  such 
as  to  afford  otherwise  no  hope  of  their  spontaneously 
imbibing  this  salutary  draught.      Their  gums  and 
shins  were  also  regularly  examined,  in  order  to  detect 
scurvy  in  its  earliest  symptoms.    It  was  necessary 
to  be  very  economical  of  fuel,  tlie  small  quantity  of 
moss  and  turf  which  could  be  collected  being  too  wet 
to  be  of  any  use.    By  placing  the  apparatus  for  bak- 
ing in  a  central  position,  and  by  several  other  arrange- 
ments, the  cabin  was  maintained  in  a  very  comforta- 
ble temperature ;  but  still,  around  its  extremities  and 
in  the  bed-places,  steam,  vapour,  and  even  the  breath 
settled,  first  as  moisture  and  then  as  ice ;  to  dry  and 
remove  these  annoyances  became  therefore  a  part  of 
tlieir  daily  employment. 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


217 


allowed 

the  ex- 
i  he  had 
ria;  but, 
re-occu- 
rave  the 
ifter  his 

so  emi- 
nautical 

is  ships 
d  his  at- 
tture  of 
»,  which, 
II  Arctic 
y  ample, 
)onkin's 
soup,  in- 
ne  were 
lowance 
r.  The 
made  to 
rin  pre- 
ng  such 
neously 
ims  and 

0  detect 
cessary 
ntity  of 
too  wet 
for  bak- 
irrange- 
•mforta- 
ties  and 
}  breath 
dry  and 

1  part  of 


Mr.  Parry  was,  from  the  first,  aware  that  nothing 
acted  more  strongly  as  an  antiscorbutic,  than  to  keep 
the  men's  minds  in  a  lively  and  cheerful  state.  His 
plans  for  this  purpose  were  very  original,  and  proved 
very  effectual.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  oc- 
casional performance  of  a  play,  in  a  region  very  re- 
mote certainly  from  any  to  whicli  the  drama  appeared 
congenial.  Lieutenant  Beechy  was  nominated  stage- 
manager,  and  the  officers  came  forward  as  amateur 
performers.  The  very  expectation  thus  raised  among 
the  seamen,  and  the  bustle  of  preparing  a  room  for 
the  purpose,  were  extremely  salutary ;  and  when  the 
North  Georgian  theatre  opened  with  "  Miss  in  hei 
Teens,"  these  hardy  tars  were  convulsed  with  laugh- 
ter, not  a  little  excited,  perhaps,  by  viewing  their 
officers  in  so  singular  and  novel  a  position ;  at  all 
events  the  Arctic  management  was  extremely 
popular.  As  the  small  stock  contained  in  one  or 
two  chance  volumes  was  exhausted,  original  com- 
positions were  produced,  and  afterward  fonned 
mto  a  little  collection.  The  officers  had  another 
source  of  amusement  in  the  North  Georgia  Ga- 
zette, of  which  Captain  Sabine  became  editor,  and 
all  were  invited  to  contribute  to  this  chronicle  of 
the  frozen  regions.  Even  those  who  hesitated  to 
appear  as  writers,  enlivened  the  circle  by  severe  but 
good-humoured  criticisms. 

Thus  passed  tlie  time, 
Till,  through  the  lucid  chambers  of  the  south, 
Looked  out  the  joyous  Sun. 

It  was  on  the  4th  November  that  this  great  orb 
ought  to  have  taken  his  leave ;  but  a  deep  haze  pre* 
vented  them  from  bidding  a  formal  farewell,  and 
from  ascertaining  the  period  down  to  which  refrac* 
tion  would  have  rendered  him  visible ;  yet  he  was 
reported  to  be  seen  from  tlie  mast-head  on  the  11th. 
Amid  various  occupations  and  amusements,  the 
shortest  day  came  on  almost  unexpected,  and  the  sea* 

T 


I  ^ 


ii 


r 


ll 


i 


i 


f'^ 


I 


-  L«J 
n  fi'  si 

n 

<    i 


i  ! 


218 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


men  then  watched  with  pleasure  the  midday  twi- 
light gradually  strengthening.  On  the  28th  Janu- 
ary none  of  the  fixed  stars  could  be  seen  at  noon 
by  the  naked  eye ;  and  on  the  1st  and  2d  of  Febru- 
ary the  sun  Was  looked  for,  but  the  sky  was  wrapped 
in  mist ;  however,  on  the  3d  he  was  perceived  from 
the  maintop  of  the  Hecla.  Through  the  greatest 
depth  of  the  Polar  night,  the  officers,  during  the 
brief  twilight,  had  taken  a  regular  walk  of  two  or 
three  hours ;  avoiding  only  to  go  farther  than  a  mile, 
lest  they  should  be  overtaken  by  snow-drift.  There 
was  a  want  of  objects  to  diversify  this  walk.  A 
dreary  monotonous  surface  of  dazzling  white  covered 
land  and  sea :  the  view  of  the  ships,  the  smoke  as- 
cending from  them,  the  sound  of  human  voices, 
which  through  the  calm  and  cold  air  was  carried  to 
an  extraordinary  distance,  alone  gave  any  animation 
to  this  wintry  scene.  The  officers,  however,  perse- 
vered in  their  daily  walk,  and  exercise  was  also  en- 
forced upon  the  men,  who,  even  when  prevented  by 
the  weather  from  leaving  the  vessel,  were  made  to 
run  round  the  deck,  keeping  time  to  the  tune  of  an 
organ.  This  movement  they  did  not  at  first  entirely 
relish ;  but  no  plea  against  it  being  admitted,  they 
converted  it  at  last  into  matter  of  frolic. 

By  the  above  means  health  was  maintained  on 
board  the  ships  to  a  surprising  degree.  Early  in  Ja- 
nuary, however,  Mr.  Scallon,  the  gunner,  felt 
symptoms,  first  in  the  legs  and  then  in  the  gums, 
that  decidedly  indicated  the  presence  of  scurvy,  of 
which  the  immediate  cause  appeared  to  be  the  great 
collection  of  damp  which  had  formed  round  his  bed- 
place.  At  this  first  alarm,  all  the  antiscorbutics  on 
board,  lemon-juice,  pickles,  spruce-beer,  &c.  were 
put  into  requisition ;  a  small  quantity  of  mustard  and 
cress  was  also  raised  from  mould  placed  over  the 
stove-pipe ;  and  such  was  the  success  of  these  mea- 
sures, that  in  nine  days  the  patient  could  walk  with- 
out pain.    Farther  on  in  the  season  a  number  of 


y  V 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


210 


ay  twi- 
ll Janu- 
it  noon 
'  Febni- 
i^rapped 
Bd  from 
p-eatest 
ing  the 
two  or 
I  a  mile, 
There 
alk.  A 
covered 
oke  as- 
voices, 
tried  to 
imation 
,  perse- 
ilso  en- 
itcd  by 
nade  to 
e  of  an 
entirely 
d,  they 

ined  on 
y  in  Ja- 
er,  felt 
'■  gums, 
irvy,  of 
le  great 
lis  bed- 
tics  on 
;.  were 
ardand 
ver  the 
le  mea- 
ls with- 
iber  of 


slighter  cases  occurred,  which  were  somewhat  ag- 
gravated by  an  accident.  As  the  men  were  taking 
their  musical  perambulation  round  the  deck,  a  house 
erected  on  shore,  and  containing  a  number  of  the 
most  valuable  instruments,  was  seen  to  be  oa  fire. 
The  crew  instantly  ran,  pulled  off  the  roof  with 
ropes,  knocked  down  a  part  of  the  sides,  and  being 
thus  enabled  to  throw  in  large  quantities  of  snow, 
succeeded  in  subduing  the  flames.  Now,  however, 
their  faces  presented  a  curious  spectacle,  every  nose 
and  cheek  being  white  with  frost-bites,  while  the  me- 
dical gentlemen,  with  their  assistants,  were  obliged 
to  run  from  one  to  the  other,  and  rub  them  with 
snow,  in  order  to  restore  animation.  With  one  man 
the  amputation  of  several  of  his  fingers  became  ne- 
cessary, and  no  less  than  sixteen  were  added  to  the 
sick-list. 

The  animal  tribes  disappeared  early  in  the  winter 
from  this  frozen  region.  The  officers,  on  the  15th 
October,  made  a  shooting  excursion,  enjoying  a  very 
fine  day,  though  with  the  thermometer  47^  below  the 
freezing  point ;  but  they  did  not  find  a  deer,  a  grouse, 
or  any  animal  which  could  be  ranked  as  game.  All 
of  them,  deserting  this  wintry  realm,  had  crossed 
the  seas  to  America.  There  remained  only  a  pack 
of  wolves,  which  serenaded  the  crews  nightly,  not 
venturing  to  attack,  but  contriving  to  avoid  being 
captured.  A  beautiful  white  fox  was  caught  and 
made  a  pet  of.  On  the  12th  May  one  of  the  men 
gave  notice  that  he  had  seen  a  ptarmigan ;  and  at- 
tention being  thus  excited,  Mr.  Beverley  next  day 
brought  one  down,  and  on  the  15th  three  coveys 
were  discovered.  The  footsteps  of  deer  were  also 
seen,  which,  from  the  impression  made  on  the  snow, 
seemed  to  be  moving  northward.  From  this  time 
ptarmigans  were  supplied  in  tolerable  numbers ;  but 
they  were  made  strictly  a  common  good,  being  di- 
vided equally  among  the  crew,  willi  only  a  preference 
ill  favour  of  the  sick     There  was  found,  also,  mixed 


V I  *;•■ 


m   I, 


>  4 


220 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


?■} 


with  moss  under  the  snow,  an  abundance  of  the 
herb  sorrel,  a  most  potent  antidote  against  scurvy. 
By  these  suppliei,  and  by  the  more  genial  weather,  the 
health  of  the  crew,  which  at  the  end  of  March  had 
been  in  a  somewhat  alarming  state,  was  completely 
restored  before  the  beginning  of  June.  In  extending 
their  excursions,  however,  they  were  considerably 
incommoded  by  that  distressing  inflammation  of  the 
eyes,  produced  from  the  glare  of  snow,  called  snow- 
blindness.  It  was  cured  in  a  few  days  by  cold  appli- 
cations, and  it  was  prevented  in  future  by  covering 
the  eyes,  or  by  wearing  spectacles,  in  which  crape 
was  used  instead  of  glass. 

On  the  16th  March  the  North  Georgian  theatre  was 
closed  with  an  appropriate  address,  and  the  general 
attention  was  now  turned  to  the  means  of  extrication 
from  the  ice.  By  the  17th  May  the  seamen  had  so 
far  cut  the  ice  from  around  the  ships  as  to  allow  them 
to  float ;  but  in  the  sea  it  was  still  immoveable.  This 
interval  of  painful  inaction  was  employed  by  Cap- 
tain Parry  in  an  excursion  across  Melville  Island. 
The  ground  was  still  mostly  covered  with  softened 
snow,  and  even  the  cleared  tracts  were  extremely  de- 
solate, though  checkered  by  intervals  of  fine  verdure. 
Deer  were  seen  traversing  the  plains  in  considerable 
numbers.  To  the  north  appeared  another  island,  to 
which  was  given  the  name  of  Sabine.  By  the  mid- 
dle of  June  pools  were  eveiy  where  formed ;  the  dis- 
solved water  flowed  in  streams,  and  even  in  torrents, 
which  rendered  hunting  and  travelling  unsafe.  Thei  e 
were  also  channels  of  water  in  which  boats  could 
pass;  yet  tliroughout  June  and  July  the  great  cover- 
ing of  ice  in  the  surrounding  sea  remained  entire, 
and  kept  the  ships  in  harbour.  On  the  2d  of  August, 
however,  the  whole  mass,  by  one  of  those  sudden 
movements  to  which  it  is  liable,  broke  up  and  floated 
out ;  and  the  explorers  had  now  open  water  in  which 
to  prosecute  their  discovery.  It  was  consolatory 
to  think,  that  this  was  the  very  season  at  which  they 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


221 


crape 


had  last  year  entered  Lancaster  Sound ;  and  if  they 
could  make  as  brilliant  a  voyage  this  summer,  the 
following  one  would  see  them  not  far  from  Behring's 
Straits.  But  it  was  not  without  some  obstructions 
that  on  the  4th  they  reached  the  same  spot  where 
their  progress  had  been  formerly  arrested.  On  the 
15th  they  were  enabled  to  make  a  certain  progress ; 
after  which  the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean  assumed 
a  more  compact  and  impenetrable  aspect  than  had 
ever  before  been  witnessed.  The  officers  ascended 
some  of  the  lofty  heights  which  bordered  the  coast ; 
but,  in  a  long  reach  of  sea  to  the  westward,  no 
boundary  was  seen  to  these  icy  barriers.  There 
appeared  only  the  western  extremity  of  Melville 
Island,  named  Cape  Dundas ;  and  in  the  distance  a 
bold  high  coast,  which  they  named  Banks's  Land. 
As  even  a  brisk  easterly  gale  did  not  produce  the 
slightest  movement  in  this  frozen  surface,  they  were 
led  to  believe  that  on  the  other  side  there  must  be  a 
large  barrier  of  land,  by  which  it  was  held  in  a  fixed 
state.  On  considering  all  circumstances,  there  ap- 
peared no  alternative  but  to  make  their  way  home- 
ward while  yet  the  season  permitted.  Some  addi- 
tional observations  were  made  on  their  return,  on 
the  two  coasts  extending  along  Barrow's  Strait. 

Mr.  Parry's  arrival  in  Britain  was  hailed  with  the 
highest  exultation.  To  have  sailed  upwards  of  thirty 
degrees  of  longitude  beyond  the  point  reached  by 
any  former  navigator, — to  have  discovered  so  many 
new  lands,  Islands,  and  baysr— to  have  established 
the  much-contested  existence  of  a  Polar  sea  north 
of  America,— finally,  after  a  wintering  of  eleven 
months,  to  have  brought  back  his  crew  in  a  sound 
and  vigorous  state,* — were  enough  to  raise  his  name 
above  that  of  any  former  Arctic  voyager. 


■'!*: 


n 


i    ':1 


*  Only  one  man  died  in  the  course  nf  tlieir  lonp  and  perilous  voyage, 
but  whose  disease  was  no  way  referrible  to  a  connexion  with  the  ezpe. 
ditinn,  the  origin  of  his  malady  having  been  of  a  date  anterior  to  tha 
•tiling  of  tbt  ships. 

T2 


,i  »>' 


222 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


No  hesitation  was  felt  as  to  sending  out  another 
expedition ;  but,  considering  the  strength  of  the  uhi- 
mate  barriers  which  had  twice  arrested  the  progress 
of  the  last,  it  became  important  to  consider  whether 
there  was  not  any  other  channel  by  which  the  Polar 
sea,  now  ascertained  to  exist,  might  be  reached  and 
traversed  with  greater  faciUty.  In  Hudson's  Bay, 
neither  of  the  great  northern  sounds  of  the  Welcome 
nor  of  Fox's  Channel  had  been  traced  to  a  termina- 
tion. M iddleton,  in  the  former  inlet,  had  ascended 
higher  than  any  other  navigator ;  but  a  thick  cloud 
had  been  raised  around  his  reputation,  and  his  FrO' 
zen  Strait,  after  all,  was  very  likely  to  be  only  a 
temporary  barrier.  If  from  either  of  these  sounds  a 
passage  should  open  into  the  Polar  sea,  it  might  be 
navigated  in  a  much  lower  latitude  than  that  in 
which  Parry  had  wintered,  and  might  perhaps  be 
also  free  from  those  large  insular  masses  in  which 
he  had  been  entangled.  There  was  fitted  out  then 
a  new  expedition,  in  which  the  Fury,  of  327  tons, 
was  conjoined  with  the  Hecla ;  the  commander  con- 
ceiving that  two  vessels  of  nearly  equal  dimensions 
were  best  calculated  for  co-operating  with  and  aid- 
ing each  other,  while  the  examination  of  coasts  and 
inlets  could  best  be  carried  on  by  boats.  This  of- 
ficer, now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  hoisted 
his  flag  on  board  the  Fury ;  while  Captain  Lyon, 
already  distinguished  by  his  servi*;es  in  Africa,  re- 
ceived the  command  of  the  Hecla,  and  proved  him- 
self fully  competent  to  the  arduous  duties  of  this 
new  service.  The  equipment,  the  victualling,  and 
the  heating  of  the  vessels,  were  all  arranged  with 
the  greatest  care,  and  with  various  improvements 
suggested  by  experience. 

The  expedition  was  ready  to  sail  on  the  8th  May, 
1821,  and  having  then  quitted  the  Nore,  passed 
through  the  Pentland  Frith  and  by  Cape  Farewell, 
suffering  repeated  detention ;  but  we  shall  not  pause 
till  we  find  it  on  the  2d  July  at  the  mouth  of  Hudson's 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


223 


another 
he  ulti- 
rogregs 
vhether 
e  Polar 
led  and 
s  Bay, 
elcome 
ermina- 
jcended 
c  cloud 
lis  Fro- 
only  a 
ounds  a 
light  be 
that  in 
laps  be 
1  which 
ut  then 
t7  tons, 
ler  con- 
lensions 
md  aid- 
sts  and 
'his  of- 
hoisted 
I  Lyon, 
ica,  re- 
ed him- 
of  this 
ig,  and 
id  with 
ements 

h  May, 
passed 
rewell, 
t  pause 
iidson's 


Straits.  Captain  Parry,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
scenes  of  Polar  desolation,  was  struck  with  the  pe- 
culiarly dreary  aspect  which  these  shores  presented. 
The  naked  rocks,  the  snow  still  covering  the  valleys, 
and  the  thick  fof-^  ,hat  hung  over  them,  rendered 
the  scene  indescribably  gloomy.  The  ships  were 
soon  surrounded  by  icebergs,  which  in  one  place 
amounted  to  the  number  of  fifty-four, — one  rising 
258  feet  above  the  sea.  They*  were  attended  by 
large  floes,  rendered  very  formidable  by  their  rota- 
tory motion.  The  peculiar  danger  of  these  straits, 
often  remarked  by  former  navigators,  arises  from  the 
strong  tides  and  currents  that  rush  in  from  the 
Atlantic,  and  cause  continual  and  violent  move- 
ments among  the  huge  icy  masses  with  which  the 
channels  are  filled.  Captain  Lyon  had  proof  of  their 
strength  when  he  had  two  hawsers  repeatedly  car- 
ried away,  and  his  best  bower-anchor,  weighing  more 
than  a  ton,  wrenched  from  the  bows,  and  broken  off  as 
if  it  had  been  crockery-ware.  Amid  these  troubles, 
the  sailors  were  amused  by  the  sight  of  three  com- 
panion-ships, two  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  one  bringing  out  settlers  for  Lord 
Selkirk's  colony.  These  last,  who  were  chiefly 
Dutch  and  Germans,  were  seen  waltzing  on  deck 
often  for  hours  together,  and  were  only  driven  in  by 
a  severe  fall  of  snow.  Although  almost  in  despair 
at  the  numerous  detentions  they  had  experienced, 
they  recreated  themselves  from  time  to  time  by  ma- 
trimonial arrangements,  in  which  they  were  so  dili- 
gent, that,  it  is  said,  there  was  scarcely  a  ball  which 
did  not  end  in  a  marriage. 

Amid  these  obstructions,  the  ships  spent  nineteen 
days  in  making  seventy  miles ;  which  course,  how- 
ever, brought  them,  on  the  31st,  within  two  leagues 
of  what  are  called  the  Savage  Islands.  On  the  follow- 
ing afternoon  a  loud  shouting  was  heard  over  the  ice 
and  soon  after  there  appeared  a  numerous  band  of 
natives,  paddling  their  canoes  through  the  lanes  of 


i 


)  ■.  a 


1     t 


m 


n 


i 
3 


r!,.  li 


224 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


open  water,  or,  where  these  failed,  drawing*  them 
over  the  pieces  of  ice.  Among  a  great  number  of 
kayaksf  or  boats  rowed  by  a  single  man  (see  plate, 
p.  164),  were  five  oomiaks,  or  women's  boats,  con- 


structed of  a  framework  of  wood  and  whalebone, 
covered  with  deer-skins,  having  flat  sidrs  and  bot- 
tom, and  of  considerable  size.  One  of  them,  25  feet 
by  8,  contained  women,  boys,  and  children,  to  the 
number  of  twenty-one.  Presently  began  a  wild, 
merry,  noisy  scene  of  frolic  and  traffic.  The  natives 
carried  it  on  with  eagerness  and  even  fury,  stripping 
themselves  of  the  very  skins  which  fonned  their 
only  covering,  till  they  were  in  a  state  of  total  nu- 
dity, except  that  the  ladies  always  made  a  laudable 
reservation  of  their  breeches.  They  drove  what 
they  meant  should  be  an  excessively  hard  bargain 
yet,  being  wholly  ignorant  of  the  value  of  the  rich 
skins  with  which  nature  has  invested  the  animals 
of  this  Arctic  climate,  they  raised  shouts  of  triumph 
when  they  obtained  in  exchange  a  nail,  a  saw,  of  a 
razor.  Their  aspect  was  wilder  and  more  dishevelled 
than  that  of  any  other  tribe  even  among  this  rude 
race ;  their  character  also  seems  fiercer  and  more  sa- 
vage ;  and  indeed  it  is  in  this  quarter  that  most  of  the 
tragical  encounters  with  Esquimaux  have  occm-red. 
Some  of  the  ancient  dames  were  pronounced  to  be  the 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


2^a 


most  hideous  objects  that  mortal  eye  had  ever  be- 
held ;  inflamed  eyes,  wrinkled  skin,  black  teeth,  and 
deformed  features,  rendered  them  scarcely  human : 
hence  much  apology  was  found  for  the  dark  and 
dire  suspicions  cherished  by  Frobisher's  crew  re- 
specting one  of  these  damsels,  and  the  odd  investi- 
gation to  which  it  had  prompted.  The  children 
were  rather  pretty;  though,  from  being  thrown 
carelessly  into  the  bottom  of  the  boats,  they  had 
much  the  appearance  of  the  young  of  wild  animals. 
Besides  traffic,  the  natives  carried  on  a  great  deal  of 
rather  rude  frolic,  like  that  of  ill-regulated  school- 
boys. One  of  them  got  behind  a  sailor,  shouted 
loudly  in  one  ear,  and  gave  him  a  hearty  box  on  the 
other,  which  was  hailed  with  a  loud  and  general 
laugh.  They  also  carried  on  a  dance,  consisting 
chiefly  of  violent  leaping  and  stamping,  though  in 
tolerable  time. 

In  spite  of  every  obstruction,  Captain  Parry,  early 
in  August,  reached  the  entrance  of  Fox's  Channel, 
aud  came  in  view  of  Southampton  Island.  It  was 
now  the  question,  whether  to  sail  directly  up  this 
channel,  and  reach,  by  a  comparatively  short  route. 
Repulse  Bay  and  the  higher  latitudes,  or  to  make 
the  south-western  circuit  of  Southampton  Island, 
and  ascend  the  beaten  track  of  the  Welcome. 
Captain  Parry  judiciously  preferred  the  former,  not- 
withstanding its  uncertainties,  on  account  of  the 
great  time  which  would  be  saved  should  this  course 
be  found  practicable.  On  the  15th  he  came  to  a 
strait  stretching  westward,  and  apparently  separating 
the  island  from  other  land  on  the  north.  Hoping  to 
find  this  the  Frozen  Strait  of  Middleton,  he  entered 
it ;  but  it  soon  proved  a  spacious  and  beautiful  basin, 
enclosed  by  land  on  every  side.  He  named  it  the 
Duke  of  York's  Bay,  and  considered  it  one  of  the 
finest  harbours  in  the  world ;  but,  after  admiring  a 
large  floe  covered  entirely  with  minerals,  shells,  and 
plants,  he  moved  out  of  it,  and  pursued  the  voyage. 


\  I 


I 

I 


tm 


I' 


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t 


226 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


On  the  21st  the  navigators  found  themselves  in 
another  strait,  not  much  encumbered  with  ice,  but 
darkened  by  thick  fogs;  and,  before  they  almost 
knew  where  they  were,  a  heavy  swell  from  the 
southward  showea  that  they  had  passed  through  the 
Frozen  Strait,  and  were  in  the  broad  channel  of 
the  Welcome.  They  speedily  entered  Repulse  Bay, 
in  which  modern  speculation  had  cherished  the 
hope  of  a  passage ;  but  a  short  investigation,  made 
by  boats  in  every  direction,  i)roved  that  it  was  really 
as  Middleton  had  described  it,  completely  enclosed. 
A  good  deal  of  time  had  thus  been  lost  through  the 
skepticism  so  unjustly  attached  to  the  narrative  of 
that  eminent  navigator. 

Captain  Parry,  having  come  with  all  speed  out  of 
Repulse  Bay,  began  the  career  of  discovery  along  a 
coast  hitherto  unknown.  An  inlet  was  soon  found, 
and  called  by  the  name  of  Gore ;  but  when  ascended 
a  (certain  length,  it  was  not  found  to  reach  far  inland. 
At  the  mouth  of  this  opening,  the  valleys  were  richly 
clad  with  grass  and  moss,  the  birds  singing,  butterflies 
and  other  insects  displaying  the  most  gaudy  tints,  so 
that  the  sailors  might  have  fancied  themselves  in  some 
happier  climate,  had  not  the  mighty  piles  of  ice  in 
the  Frozen  Strait  tOld  a  different  tale.  Hunting  par- 
ties traversed  the  country  in  various  directions,  and 
the  game-laws  of  the  preceding  year  were  strictly 
re-enacted,  by  which  every  beast  or  bird  slain  was  to 
be  employed  for  the  general  good,  allowing  only  the 
head  and  legs  as  a  douceur  to  the  captor.  The  latter 
however,  adopted  and  made  good  a  theory,  agreeably 
to  which  the  description,  A«arf,was  greatly  extended, 
80  as  to  include  even  several  joints  of  the  back-bone. 

Having  passed  Gore  Inlet,  the  expedition  found 
itself  among  those  numerous  isles  described  by  Mid- 
dleton, which  formed  a  complete  labyrinth  of  various 
shapes  and  sizes,  while  strong  currents  setting 
between  them  in  various  directions,  amid  fogs  and 
drifting  ice,  rendered  the  navigation  truly  perilous. 


H 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


227 


The  Fury  was  assailed  by  successive  masses  rushing 
out  from  an  inlet ;  her  anchor  was  dragged  along  the 
rocks  with  a  grinding  noise,  and  on  being  drawn  up, 
the  two  flukes  were  found  to  be  broken  off.  The  same 
vessel  was  afterward  carried  along  by  a  violent  cur- 
rent, amid  thick  mist,  without  there  being  any  mearis 
of  guiding  or  altering  its  direction ;  so  that  Captain 
Parry  considers  it  altogether  providential  that  she 
was  not  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  surrounding 
rocks.  However,  one  channel,  and  one  only,  was 
found,  by  which  the  mariners  at  last  made  their  way 
through  this  perilous  maze.  No  sooner  had  they 
reached  the  open  sea,  than,  being  obliged  to  run  before 
a  strong  northerly  breeze,  they  were  much  dis- 
heartened to  find  themselves,  on  the  3d  of  September, 
at  the  very  point  which  they  had  left  the  preceding 
6th  of  August.  All  the  interval  had  been  employed 
in  the  mere  negative  discovery,  that  there  was  nothing 
to  discover. 

Captain  Parry  soon  reached  the  northern  coast, 
and  resumed  ms  task,  which  was  rendered  very 
tedious  by  the  necessity  of  examining  every  opening 
and  channel,  in  the  hope  that  each  might  prove  the 
desired  passage  into  the  Polar  ocean.  He  first  ex- 
plored a  large  inlet,  the  name  of  which  he  gave  to 
Captain  Lyon,  then  a  smaller  one,  which  was  named 
from  Lieutenant  Hoppner ;  and,  by  connecting  these 
with  Gore  Inlet,  he  completed  his  delineation  of  the 
coast.  The  seamen  had  then  the  pleasure  of  opening 
a  traflic  with  a  party  of  Esquimaux,  whose  first 
timidity  was  soon  overcome  by  the  hope  of  being 
supplied  with  some  iron  tools.  In  the  course  of  this 
transaction,  the  surprise  of  the  crew  was  roused  by 
the  conduct  of  a  lady,  who  had  sold  one  boot,  but 
obstinately  retained  the  other  in  disregard  of  the 
strongest  remonstrances  as  to  the  ridiculous  figure 
she  in  consequence  made.  At  length,  suspicion  rose 
to  such  a  pitch,  that,  all  courtesy  being  set  aside,  her 
person  was  laid  hold  of,  and  the  boot  pulled  off.. 
Then  indeed  it  proved  a  complete  depository  of  stolen 


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228     RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 

treasure,  since  no  less  than  two  spoons  and  a  pewter 
plate  were  found  within  tliis  capacious  receptacle. 

The  end  of  September  now  approached,  and  Cap- 
tain Parry  found  himself  suddenly  in  the  depth  of 
winter.  Snow  had  been  falhng  during  the  whole  of 
the  short  summer ;  but  the  united  warmth  of  the  air 
and  earth  had  melted  it  as  it  fell,  and  left  the  ground 
still  open  to  the  sun's  rays.  In  one  moment,  as  it 
were,  the  snow  made  good  its  lodgment,  and  spread 
its  white  and  dazzling  mantle  over  land  and  sea. 
The  rays  being  then  no  longer  able  to  reach  the  soil, 
the  whole  became  subject  to  permanent  and  impene- 
trable frost.  Some  parts  of  the  snow  were  indeed 
dissolved,  and  then  refrozen  in  varied  and  beautiful 
forms  of  crystallization ;  whereas  at  Melville  Island, 
the  dead  white  covering  once  spread  over  nature  had 
never  changed  its  aspect.  A  more  serious  s)rmptom 
existed  in  the  rapid  formation  of  the  soft  or  pancake 
ice  on  the  surface  of  the  deep.  The  obstacle  pre- 
sented by  this  crust  was  at  first  so  slight  as  to  be 
scarcely  felt  by  a  ship  before  a  favouring  gale ;  but 
it  continually  increased,  till  the  vessel,  rolling  from 
side  to  side,  and  all  her  resources  failing,  became,  like 
Gulliver,  bound  by  the  feeble  hands  of  Lilliputians. 
At  the  same  time  the  various  pieces  of  drift-ice, 
which  were  tossing  in  the  sea  without,  had  been  ce- 
mented into  one  great  field  called  "  the  ice,"  that 
threatened  every  moment  to  bear  down  upon  the  ves- 
sels, and  dash  them  in  pieces.  Under  this  combi- 
nation of  circumstances,  the  navigators  could  no 
longer  even  attempt  to  reach  the  land,  but  determined 
to  saw  into  the  heart  oi*  a  large  adjoining  floe,  and 
there  take  up  their  winter-quarters.  There  was  about 
half  a  mile  to  penetrate,  which,  in  the  present  soft 
state  of  the  pancake  ice,  was  not  very  laborious.  It 
was,  however,  far  from  pleasant,  the  ice  bending  like 
leather  beneath  their  feet,  and  causing  them  some- 
times to  sink  into  tlie  water,  whence  they  did  not 
escape  without  a  very  cold  bath. 

Captain  Parry  was  how  frozen  up  for  another  winter 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


229 


in  the  midst  of  the  northern  sea,  and  he  forthwith 
applied  himself  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements 
with  that  judicious  foresight  which  had  been  already 
so  conspicuous  in  the  same  trying  circumstances. 
Through  lessons  taught  by  experience,  and  by  several 
ingenious  contrivances,  the  ships  were  much  more 
thoroughly  heated  than  in  the  former  voyage ;  the 
provisioning,  too,  was  more  ample,  and  antidotes 
against  scurvy  still  more  copiously  supplied.    The 
Polar  theatre  opened  on  the  9th  November  with  "  The 
Rivals."    Captains  Parry  and  Lyon  volunteered  to 
appear  as  Sir  Anthony  and  Captain  Absolute ;  while 
the  ladies  had  very  generously  removed  an  ample 
growth  of  beard,  disregarding  the  comfortable  warmth 
which  it  afforded  in  an  Arctic  climate.    The  com- 
pany were  well  received,  and  carried  through  their 
performances  with  unabated  spirit ;  yet  this  season 
does  not  seem  to  have  gone  off  quite  with  the  same 
eclat  as  the  preceding.    Novelty,  from  the  first  the 
chief  attraction,  had  worn  off,  and  the  discomfort  of 
a  stage,  the  exhibitions  of  which  were  attended  with 
a  cold  thirty  degrees  under  the  freezing  point,  became 
rather  severe.    The  sailors  found  for  themselves  a 
more  sober  and  useful,  as  well  as  efficacious  remedy 
against  ennui.    They  established  a  school,  in  which 
the  better  instructed  undertook  to  revive  the  know- 
ledge of  letters  among  others  who  had  almost  en- 
tirely lost  the  slight  tincture  which  they  had  once 
imbibed.     These  hardy  tars  applied  themselves  to 
their  book  with  ardent  and  laudable  zeal,  and  showed 
a  pride  in  their  new  attainments  like  that  of  little 
boys  at  school.    By  Christmas  sixteen  well-written 
copies    were    forthcoming   from   those   who,  two 
months  before,  could  scarcely  form  a  letter.    Amid 
these  varied  and  pleasing  occupations,  the  shortest 
day  passed  over  their  heads  almost  unobserved, 
especially  as  the  sun  never  entirely  left  them.    Cap- 
tam  Lyon  never  saw  a  merrier  Christmas  than  waa' 
celebrated  on  board.    The  sailors,  being  amply  re-^ 


f  i 


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.urn 


no 


RECEKT   NORtH-W£ST  VOYAGES* 


galed  with  fresh  beef,  cranberry  pies,  and  grogt 
became  so  extremely  elevated,  that  they  insisted  on 
successively  drinking,  with  three  hearty  cheers,  the 
health  of  each  officer. 

The  animal  world,  in  this  less  rigorous  climate, 
even  though  the  ground  T<ras  completely  frozen  over, 
did  not  disappear  so  entirely  as  on  Melville  Islands 
A  few  solitary  hares  were  caught ;  but  they  were  in 
a  miserable  state  of  leanness,  weighing  only  five  or 
six  pounds,  and  had  a  pure  white  covering,  which 
resembled  swan's  down  rather  than  hair.  About  a 
hundred  white  foxes  were  found  in  the  nets  during 
the  winter.  These  beautiful  creatures,  when  first 
caught,  were  perfectly  wild  and  ungovernable ; 
but  shortly  the  young  ones  at  least  threw  off  this 
timidity.  A  delicate  little  animal  found  one  day 
in  the  snare  proved  to  be  an  ermine ;  but  it  was 
excessively  frightened,  and  to  the  general  regret 
soon  died. 

The  u  inter  months  were  also  enlivened  by  various 
beautiful  appearances  which  the  sky  at  that  season 
presented.  The  northern  world,  when  the  sun  de- 
parts, is  by  no  means  involved  in  that  deep,  mono- 
tonous gloom  which  such  a  privation  might  indicate. 
After  that  liuninary  has  finally  quitted  the  earth,  and 
the  long  northern  winter  has  closed  in,  the  heavens 
become  a  gay  scene,  through  which  the  most  brilliant 
meteors  are  perpetually  playing.  Those  singular 
and  beautiful  streams  of  light,  called  commonly  the 
Aurora  Borealis^  or  Northern  Morning,  keep  up  an 
almost  incessant  illumination.  They  were  discerned 
in  full  splendour  by  Captains  Parry  and  Lyon  during 
their  Arctic  residence.  The  light  had  a  tendency  to 
fonn  an  irregular  arch,  which,  in  calm  weather,  was 
often  very  distinct,  though  its  upper  boundary  was 
seldom  well  define<l ;  but,  whenever  the  air  became 
agitated,  showers  of  rays  spread  in  every  direction, 
with  the  brilliancy  and  rapidity  of  lightnmg.  Some- 
times long  bands  of  light  were  spread  out  with 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


231 


nd  grog, 
sisted  on 
leers,  the 

climate, 
zen  over, 
le  Island. 

Y  were  in 
ly  five  or 
ig,  which 

About  a 
ts  during 
hen  first 
ernable  ; 

Y  off  this 
one  day 

ut  it  was 
al  regret 

Y  various 
It  season 
3  sun  de- 
3»  mono- 
indicate. 
arth,  and 

heavens 

brilliant 
singular 
only  the 
p  up  an 
iscerned 
n  during 
dency  to 
^ler,  was 
ary  was 

became 
irection, 

Some- 
ut  with 


hconceivable  rapidity,  but  always  appearing  to  move 
to  and  from  a  fixed  point,  somewhat  like  a  riband 
held  in  the  hand  and  shaken  with  an  undulatory 
motion.  No  rule,  however,  could  be  traced  in  the 
movement  of  those  lighter  parcels  called  "the  merry 
dancers,*'  which  flew  about  perpetually  in  every 
direction  and  towards  every  quarter.  In  stormy 
weather  the  northern  lights  always  became  more 
rapid  in  their  motions,  sharing  all  the  wildness  of 
the  blast.  They  gave  an  indescribable  air  of  magic 
to  the  whole  scene,  and  made  it  not  wonderful,  that 
by  the  untaught  Indian  they  should  be  viewed  as 
"  the  spirits  of  his  fathers  roaming  through  the  land 
of  souls." 

Several  questions  have  been  agitated  with  respect 
to  the  Aurora*  It  has  been  said  to  be  accompanied 
with  a  hissing  and  cracking  noise ;  and  indeed  Cap- 
tain Lyon  observes,  that  the  sudden  glare  and  rapid 
'^'irsts  of  those  wondrous  showers  of  fire  make  it 
V  il  jult  to  fancy  their  movements  wholly  without 
oound.  Yet  nothing  was  really  ever  heard.  Captain 
Parry  complains,  that  he  could  not  expose  his  ears 
to  the  cold  long  enough  completely  to  ascertain  the 
point ;  but  Captain  Lyon  declares,  that  he  stood  for 
hours  on  the  ice  listening,  and  at  a  distance  from 
every  sounding  body,  till  he  became  thoroughly  satis- 
fied that  none  proceeded  from  the  Aurora.  It  has 
been  a  question  whether  this  meteor  hid  the  stars ; 
it  was  generally  decided  that  it  dimmed  the  lustre  of 
those  heavenly  bodies,  as  if  a  thin  gauze  veil  had 
been  drawn  over  them, — an  effect  which  was  aug- 
mented when  several  luminous  portions  were  spread 
over  each  other.  In  a  clear  atmosphere  these  lights 
shone  with  a  brightness  which  gave  the  impression 
that  they  were  nearer  than  the  clouds :  but  whenever 
these  last  overspread  the  sky,  the  Aurora  was  \vA 
by  them,  and  must  therefore  have  been  more  distant 
To  Captain  Parry  tlie  light  appeared  to  assume  tints 
of  yellow  and  lilac ;  but  to  Captain  Lyon  its  colour 


I.        Kjf 


V'  I! 

!1 


^i'» 


.!    ir 


iu.i 


233 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


always  resembled  that  of  the  Milky- Way,  or  of  very 
vivid  sheet-lightning.  The  present  writer  saw  the 
Aurora  once,  and  only  once,  in  its  utmost  brilliancy, 
and  exhibiting  all  the  phenomena  described  by  these 
northern  observers, — his  impressions  agreeing  parti 
cularly  with  those  of  Captain  Lyon. 

Other  luminous  meteors,  arising  apparently  from 
the  refraction  caused  by  the  minute  and  highly-crys- 
tallized spiculae  of  ice,  appear  in  succession  to  em- 
bellish the  northern  sky.  The  sun  and  moon  are 
often  surrounded  with  halos, — concentric  circles  of 
vapour,  tinted  with  the  brightest  hues  of  the  rain- 
bow. Parhelia,  or  mock  suns,  frequently  adorned 
with  these  accompaniments,  shine  at  once  in  different 
quarters  of  the  firmament.  Ellis,  who  was  with 
Moor  and  Smith  to  Hudson's  Bay,  has  seen  six  in 
one  sky.  They  are  most  brilliant  at  daybreak,  dimi- 
nish in  lustre  as  the  real  sun  ascends,  but  again 
brighten  at  his  setting.  The  sun  himself,  for  some 
time  before  he  finally  departs  for  the  winter,  and  also 
after  his  reappearance  in  spring,  tinges  the  sky  with 
hues  of  matchless  brilliancy.  The  edges  of  the 
Clouds  near  that  luminary  often  present  a  fiery  or 
burnished  appearance,  while  the  opposite  horizon 
glows  with  a  deep  purple,  gradually  softening  as  it 
ascends  into  a  delicate  rose-colour  of  inconceivable 
beauty.  As  the  solar  orb  at  these  periods  never 
rises  more  than  a  few  degrees  above  the  horizon,  he 
is,  as  it  were,  in  a  state  of  permanent  rising  and  set- 
ting, and  seems  to  exhibit  longer  and  more  variously 
the  beautiful  appearances  arising  out  of  that  position. 
At  this  time  the  naked  eye  can  view  him  without 
being  dazzled;  and  Captain  Lyon  considers  the 
softened  blush-colour,  which  his  rays  exhibit  through 
frost,  as  possessing  a  charm  which  surpasses  even 
that  of  an  Italian  sky. 

Amid  all  these  resources,  the  monotony  of  the 
scene  was  beginning  to  be  oppressive,  when  it  was 
relieved  by  an  unexpected  incident,  which  attractea 


l!       'I 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


233 


:!i  ! 


r  of  very 
saw  the 
rilliancy, 
by  these 
ng  parti 

tly  from 
ily-crys- 
to  em- 
ioon  are 
rcles  of 
He  rain- 
adorned 
different 
as  with 
?n  six  in 
ik,  dimi- 
it  again 
or  some 
and  also 
ky  with 
of  the 
fiery  or 
horizon 
ig  as  it 
;eivable 
5  never 
zon,  he 
md  set- 
riously 
)sition. 
I'ithout 
rs  the 
irough 
s  even 

3f  the 
t  was 
ractea 


universal  attention.  On  the  morning  of  the  1st 
February,  a  number  of  distant  figures  were  seen 
moving  over  the  ice,  and,  when  they  were  viewed 
through  glasses,  the  cry  was  raised,  "  Esquimaux ! 
Esquimaux !"  As  it  was  of  great  importance  to  deal 
courteously  and  discreetly  with  these  strangers,  the 
two  commanders  formed  a  party  of  six,  who  walked 
in  files  behind  each  other,  that  they  might  cause  no 
alarm.  The  Esquimaux  then  formed  themselves 
into  a  line  of  twenty-one,  advanced  slowly,  and  at 
length  made  a  full  stop.  In  this  order  they  saluted 
the  strangers  by  the  usual  movement  of  beating  their 
breasts.  They  were  substantially  clothed  in  rich 
and  dark  deer-skins,  and  appeared  a  much  more  quiet 
and  orderly  race  than  their  rude  countrymen  of  the 
Savage  Islands.  On  the  English  producing  their 
precious  commodities,  knives,  nails,  and  needles,  an 
active  traflfic  was  set  on  foot ;  and  the  females,  on 
seeing  that  much  importance  was  attached  to  the 
skins  which  formed  their  clothing,  began  immediately 
to  strip  off  those  with  which  their  fair  persons  were 
covered.  The  captains  felt  alarm  for  the  conse- 
quences, under  a  temperature  more  than  fifty  degrees 
below  the  freezing  point ;  but  were  soon  consoled 
by  discerning  underneath  another  comfortable  suit. 
They  were  now  cordially  invited  to  enter  their  habita- 
tions, to  which  they  agreed  most  readily,  only  that 
there  appeared  no  habitations  to  enter.  However, 
they  were  led  to  a  hole  in  the  snow,  and  instructed 
to  place  themselves  on  their  hands  and  knees,  in 
which  position,  having  crept  through  a  long  winding 
passage,  they  arrived  at  a  little  hall  with  a  dome- 
shaped  roof,  whence  doors  opened  into  three  apart- 
ments, each  occupied  by  a  separate  family.  These 
proved  to  be  five  distinct  mansions,  tenanted  by 
sixty-four  men,  women,  and  children.  The  mate- 
rials and  structure  of  these  abodes  were  still  more 
singular  than  their  position.  Snow,  the  chief  pro- 
duct of  the  uortliern  tempests,  became  here  a  pro- 

V2 


'v 


)    11 


S    I 


Itm 


:<^\ 


I-.  ^1 


^1/ 


# 


'  ;: 


li  5l 


\l 


i 


234 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES, 


tection  against  its  own  cold.  It  was  formed  int.) 
curved  slabs  of  about  two  feet  long  aud  half  a  foot 
thick,  put  together  by  a  most  judicious  masonry,  so 
as  to  present  a  species  of  dome-shaped  structures, 
rising  six  or  seven  feet  above  the  ground,  and  about 
fourteen  or  sixteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  mode  of 
inserting  the  key-slab,  which  bound  the  whole  toge- 
ther, would,  it  is  said,  have  been  satisfactory  to  the 
eye  of  a  regularly-bred  artist.  A  plate  of  ice  in  the 
roof  served  as  a  window,  and  admitted  the  light  as 
through  ground  glass ;  which,  when  it  shone  on  the 
interior  mansions,  in  their  first  state  of  pure  and 
beautiful  transparency,  produced  soft  and  glittering 
tints  of  green  and  blue.  But,  alas !  ere  long,  accu- 
midated  dirt,  smoke,  and  offal,  converted  these  apart- 
ments into  a  scene  of  blackness  and  stench.  This 
little  village  appeared  at  first  like  a  cluster  of  hillocks 
amid  the  snow;  but  successive  falls  filled  up  the 
vacuities,  and  converted  it  almost  into  a  smooth  sur- 
face, so  that  even  boys  and  dogs  were  seen  walking 
and  sporting  over  the  roofs ;  though,  as  summer  and 
thaw  advanced,  a  leg  sometimes  penetrated,  and 
appeared  to  the  alarmed  inmates  below.  Then,  too, 
the  ceiling  begins  to  drip ;  and  the  tenants,  after  re* 
peatedly  endeavouring  to  patch  it  with  fresh  slabs, 
and  catching,  of  course,  some  severe  colds,  are  obliged 
to  betake  themselves  to  a  more  durable  covering.  Iij 
each  room,  suspended  from  the  roof,  bums  a  lamp, 
with  a  long  wick  formed  of  a  peculiar  species  of 
moss,  fed  with  the  oil  of  the  seal  or  the  walrus,  and 
serving  at  once  for  light,  heat,  and  cookery.  The 
family  sit  round  the  apartment,  on  a  bench  formed 
of  snow,  strewed  with  slender  twigs  and  covered 
with  skins ;  but  this  part  of  the  dwelling  must  be 
carefully  kept  a  good  deal  below  the  freezing-point, 
since  a  higher  temperature  would  speedily  dissolve 
the  walls  of  the  frail  tenement. 
•  After  a  cheerful  and  friendly  visit,  an  invitation 
was  given  t»  the  Esquimaux  tp  repaid  U>  the  ^hips. 


''■:  A> 


ned  inl.j 

if  a  foot 

onry,  so 

■uctures, 

id  about 

mode  of 

)le  toge- 

y  to  the 

;e  in  the 

light  as 

e  on  the 

ure  and 

littering 

g,  accu- 

e  apart- 

i.    This 

hillocks 

i  up  the 

oth  sur- 

walking 

mer  and 

ed,  and 

len,  too, 

ifter  re-* 

h  slabsi 

obliged 

ng.   In 

a  lamp, 

cies  of 

us,  and 

The 

formed 

overed 

lust  be 

•point, 

issolve 

itation 
^hips. 


.■•,,^-. .«-  '_«> ' 


v... 


I . 


!■  irf 


ij, 


^\y 


H 


'•  '4 


^t^ 


\ 


RBCENT  NORTH-^VEST  VOYAGES. 


235 


when  fifty  accepted  it  with  alacrity.  Partly  walk- 
ing, and  partly  dancing,  they  soon  reached  the  ves- 
sels, where  a  striking  congeniality  of  spirit  was  soon 
found  to  exist  between  them  and  the  sailors ;  bois- 
terous fun  forming  to  each  the  chief  source  of  en- 
joyment. A  fiddle  and  drum  being  produced,  the 
natives  struck  up  a  dance,  or  rather  a  succession  of 
vehement  leaps,  accompanied  with  loud  shouts  and 
yells.  Seeing  the  Kabloonas  or  Whites,  as  thoy 
called  the  strangers,  engaged  in  the  game  of  leap-frog, 
they  attempted  to  join ;  but  not  duly  understanding 
how  to  measure  their  movements,  they  made  such 
over-leaps  as  sometimes  to  pitch  on  the  crown  of  their 
heads :  however  they  sprang  up  quite  unconcerned. 
Their  attention  was  specially  attracted  to  the  effects 
of  a  winch,  by  which  one  sailor  forcibly  drew  to- 
wards him  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve  of  their  number, 
though  grinning  and  straining  every  nerve  in  resist- 
ance ;  but  finding  all  in  vain,  they  joined  in  the  burst 
of  good-humoured  laughter  till  tears  streamed  from 
jtheir  eyes.  One  intelligent  old  man  followed  Cap- 
tain Lyon  to  the  cabin,  and  viewed  with  rational 
rsurprise  various  objects  v  hich  were  presented.  The 
performance  of  ahand-orjjan  and  a  musical  snuff-box 
■struck  him  with  breathless  admiration ;  and  on  see- 
ing drawings  of  the  Esquimaux  in  Hudson's  Strait, 
he  soon  understood  them,  and  showed  the  difference 
between  their  dress  and  appearance  and  that  of  his 
own  tribe.  On  seeing  the  sketch  of  a  bear,  he  raised 
a  loud  cry,  drew  up  his  sleeves,  and  showed  the  scars 
of  three  deep  wounds  received  in  encounters  with 
that  terrible  animal.  The  seamen  sought  to  treat 
their  visiters  to  such  delicacies  as  their  ship  afforded, 
but  were  for  some  time  at  a  loss  to  discover  how  their 
palate  might  be  gratified.  Grog,  the  seaman's 
choicest  luxury,  only  one  old  woman  could  be  in- 
duced to  taste.  Sugar,  sweetmeats,  gingerbread, 
were  accepted  only  out  of  complaisance,  and  eaten 
with  manifest  disgust ;  but  train-oil,  entrails  of  ani« 


i  <i 


''' 


'  ii 


.1  t' 


336 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


Ml 


1^ 


\m': 


f  i 


mals,  and  any  thing  consisting  of  pure  fat  or  grease, 
were  swallowed  in  immense  quantities,  and  with 
symptoms  of  exquisite  delight.  Thjs  taste  was  first 
evinced  by  an  old  woman,  who,  havmg  sold  her  oil- 
pot,  took  care  previously  to  empty  the  contents  into 
her  stomach,  and  lick  it  clean  with  her  tongue,  re- 
gardless of  her  face  becoming  thus  as  black  as  soot. 
Captain  Lyon,  being  disposed  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  rather  a  handsome  young  damsel,  presented  her 
with  a  good  moulded  candle,  six  in  the  pound.  She 
immediately  began  to  eat  off  the  tallow  with  every 
symptom  of  the  greatest  enjoyment,  after  which  she 
thrust  the  wick  into  her  mouth;  but  the  Captain, 
concerned  for  the  consequences  to  this  delicate 
virgin,  insisted  on  pulling  it  out.  In  preference  to 
strong  liquors  tliey  drank  water  in  the  most  enor- 
mous quantities,  by  gallons  at  a  time,  and  two  quarts 
at  a  draught ;  a  supply  of  liquid  which  is  perhaps  ne- 
cessary to  dissolve  their  gross  food,  and  which,  being 
obtained  only  from  snow  artificially  melted,  is  a  scarce 
winter  article. 

The  Esquimaux  were  attended  by  a  large  pack  of 
wolves,  which  seemed  to  follow  solely  to  pick  up 
whatever  might  be  found  straggling  or  defenceless 
about  their  habitation.  These  animals  continued 
through  the  whole  winter  ravening  with  hunger,  and 
in  eager  watch  for  any  victim  which  might  comf; 
within  their  reach.  For  this  purpose  they  took  a  sta- 
tion between  the  huts  and  the  ships,  ready  to  act 
against  either  as  circumstances  might  dictate.  They 
did  not  attack  the  sailors  even  when  unarmed,  though 
they  were  often  seen  hovering  through  the  gloom  in 
search  of  prey.  Every  stray  dog  was  seized,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  devoured.  Two  wolves  broke  into 
a  snow-house  close  to  the  ship,  and  carried  off  each 
a  dog  larger  than  himself;  but,  being  pursued,  one 
of  them  was  obliged  to  drop  his  booty.  In  the  ex- 
tremity of  tht-ir  hunger  they  hesitated  not  to  tear 
and  devour  the  cables  and  canvass  found  lying  near 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


237 


the  vessel.  A  deadly  war  was  therefore  waged  a^inst 
these  fierce  animals,  of  which  thirteen  were  killed  • 
in  the  course  of  the  season,  and  sent  to  be  eaten  by  i 
the  Esquimaux, — a  present  which  was  received  with 
much  satisfaction. 

As  spring  advanced,  the  attention  of  the  officers 
was  almost  wholly  engrossed  by  the  prospects  of 
navigation  and  discovery  during  the  approaching 
summer.  Their  Esquimaux  neighbours  by  no  means 
destitute  of  intelligence,  and  accustomed  to  shift 
continually  from  place  to  place,  were  found  to  have 
acquired  a  very  extensive  knowledge  of  the  seas  and 
coasts  of  this  part  of  America.  One  female,  in  par- 
ticular, named  Iligliuk,  who  bore  even  among  her 
countrymen  the  character  of  a  "  wise  woman,"  was, 
after  a  little  instruction,  enabled  to  convey  to  the 
strangers  the  outlines  of  her  geographical  knowledge, 
in  the  form  of  a  rude  map.  A  pencil  being  put  into 
her  hand,  she  traced  the  shore  from  Repulse  Bay 
with  such  a  tolerable  measure  of  accuracy  as  in- 
spired great  confidence  in  what  she  might  farther  de- 
lineate. Iligliuk  then  began  to  exhibit  a  coast 
reaching  far  to  the  north,  being,  in  fact,  the  eastern 
limits  of  Melville  peninsula.  Next  her  pencil  took 
a  westward  direction,  when  her  farther  progress  was 
watched  with  the  deepest  interest ;  upon  which  she 
was  seen  tracing  a  strait  between  opposite  lands, 
that  extended  westward  till  it  opened  on  each  side, 
and  spread  into  an  apparently  unbounded  ocean. 
This  delineation,  which  promised  to  fulfil  their  most 
sanguine  hopes,  gratified  the  officers  beyond  mea- 
sure, and  they  loaded  Iligliuk  with  attentions  which 
unluckily  soon  turned  her  head,  and  made  her  so 
conceited  and  disdainful  that  they  were  obligea  to 
discontinue  their  notice  of  her. 

Captain  Lyon,  in  the  middle  of  March,  undertook 
a  journey  across  a  piece  of  land,  lying  between  the 
station  of  the  ships  and  the  continent,  which  had 
been  named  Winter  Island.   The  party  were  scarcely 


'i^    ^; 


!      I 


i.: 


k4, 

■      61'    '. 


fa 


/  ij 


.^i 


i   .. 


-  T%raa,r!t:^VF'-'^iVt 


238 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAOEfl. 


ifc>!l 


gone  when  they  encountered  a  heavy  gale,  bringing^ 
with  it  clouds  of  drift,  with  a  cold  so  intense,  that 
;they  could  not  stop  for  a  moment  without  having 
their  faces  covered  with  frost-bites.  After  some 
vain  struggles  they  determined  to  pitch  their  tent ; 
but  as  the  temperature  within  was  at  zero,  and  was 
continually  lowering,  they  felt  that  they  could  not 
live  through  the  night  under  this  shelter.  They 
therefore  dug  a  cave  in  the  earth,  and  by  huddling 
together  round  a  fire,  immersed  in  smoke,  to  which 
no  vent  was  allowed,  contrived  to  keep  up  a  degree 
of  warmth,  though  still  ten  or  fifteen  degrees  below 
the  freezing  point.  In  the  morning  their  sledge  was 
too  deeply  buried  beneath  the  drift  to  leave  any  hope 
of  digging  it  out,  and  they  could  reach  the  ships, 
now  six  miles  distant,  only  by  proceeding  on  foot, 
through  a  tempest  of  snow  falling  so  thick  that  they 
could  not  see  a  yard  before  them.  Finding  some- 
times no  track,  sometimes  several  leading  in  diffierent 
directions,  they  were  soon  bewildered,  and  wandered 
they  knew  not  where  among  heavy  hummocks  of 
ice.  The  fiosi-uites  were  so  numerous  that  they 
could  not  master  hands  enough  to  rub  the  parts 
affected,  and  some  began  to  sink  into  that  dreadful 
insensibility  which  is  the  prelude  to  death  by  cold, 
and  to  reel  about  like  drunken  men.  Thus  they  had 
resigned  almost  every  hope  of  deliverance,  when 
providentially  there  appeared  a  new  beaten  track, 
which  they  determined  to  follow,  and  in  ten  minutes 
it  led  them  to  the  ships.  Tlieii  arrival  there  caused 
indescribable  joy,  as  they  had  been  nearly  given  up 
for  lost,  while  no  party  could  be  sent  in  search  of 
them  without  imminent  risk  of  sharing  their  fate. 

On  the  8th  May,  in  a  more  favourable  season, 
Captain  Lyon  undertook  another  journey.  In  a  few 
hours  he  crossed  Winter  Island,  and  reached  the 
strait  separating  it  from  the  continent,  covered  with 
heavy-grounded  ice  very  difficult  to  walk  upon.  The 
^un,  now  powerful,  produced  such  a  glare  on  the 


RECENT  NdRTH-WE^T  VOYAGES. 


29^ 


SHOW  as  affected  several  of  the  party  with  severe 
blindness ;  while  the  only  means  of  procuring  water 
was  by  holding  up  plates  of  ice  in  the  solar  rays,  by 
which  they  were  gradually  melted.  The  party,  hav- 
ing reached  the  mainland,  proceeded  a  considerable 
way  along  the  coast,  crossing  several  bays  upon  the 
ice ;  but  at  last  they  came  in  view  of  a  bold  cape, 
which  they  fondly  and  vainly  hoped  was  the  extreme 
point  of  America.  Here  they  were  overtaken  by  a 
storm  of  snow,  but  not  accompanied,  like  the  former, 
with  perilous  cold ;  it  melted  as  it  fell,  and  formed  a 
pulp  which  penetrated  into  their  tent&,  yet  did  not 
dissolve  so  completely  as  to  \  e  fit  for  drinking.  This 
storm  kept  them  imprisoned  for  sixt3^eight  hours ; 
which  dreary  interval  they  enlivened  by  reading  in 
turn  from  three  books  they  chanced  to  hp.ve  with 
them,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  began  to  gl^m  they 
hastened  to  return  to  the  ships. 

The  end  of  May  presented  a  gl'^omy  aspect, '  ae 
season  being  still  more  backward  thi  n  in  the  moie 
northerly  and  rigorous  climate  of  Melville  Island. 
The  snow  was  dissolved  only  on  some  spots,  and 
hardly  any  symptoms  of  vegetation  were  yet  visible  ; 
but  as  there  was  an  extent  of  open  water  in  the  sea 
without,  Captain  Parry  determined  upon  sawing  his 
way  through  to  it.  This  was  a  most  laborious  pro- 
cess, the  ice  being  much  thicker  and  stronger  than 
at  the  commencement  of  the  season ;  and  after  the 
seamen  had  continued  at  it  more  than  a  fortnight, 
and  were  within  forty-eight  hours  of  completing  a 
canal,  the  body  of  the  Jc^  made  a  movement  which 
closed  it  entirely  up.  As  they  were  looking  on  in 
despair  at  this  disaster,  another  passage  opened, 
which  they  attempted  to  render  available.  This  too 
was  closed  in  the  same  manner ;  but  these  agitations 
had  at  last  the  effect  of  causing  the  whole  mass  to 
float  out  into  the  open  sea,  and  thus  leaving  to  them 
an  unobstructed  passage. 

On  the  2d  July  the  ships  began  their  career  of 


A  .   - 


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i  \ 


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840 


REC£NT   NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


li  4 


I      I  1 


discovery.  They  had  a  favourable  run  through  this 
sea,  which  formed  a  continuation  of  Fox's  Channel ; 
but  a  strong  current  from  the  north  was  bringing 
down  the  masses  of  ice  with  great  force.  The  Hecla 
underwent  some  severe  pressures,  and,  within  five  or 
six  hundred  yards  of  the  Fury,  two  large  floes 
dashed  against  each  other  with  such  a  tremen- 
dous concussion,  that  numberless  huge  masses  were 
thrown  fifty  or  sixty  feet  into  the  air.  The  vessel, 
had  she  come  for  a  moment  within  the  sphere  of 
these  movements,  must  have  been  dashed  to  pieces, — 
happily,  she  escaped.  This  current,  however,  was 
highly  promising,  since  it  could  not  be  traced  to  the 
mouth  of  Hudson's  Straits,  but  must  have  come  from 
the  western  ocean  which  they  were  so  anxious  to 
reach. 

The  ice  passed  by,  and  the  ships  proceeded  with  a 
favouring  wind  and  tide.  The  shores  began  now  to 
put  on  their  summer  aspect ;  the  snow  had  nearly 
disappeared ;  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  the 
richest  bloom  of  Arctic  vegetation.  The  expedition 
came  to  a  fine  river  named  Barrow,  which  formed  a 
most  picturesque  fall  down  rocks  richly  fringed  with 
very  brilliant  plants.  Here  the  reindeer  sporting, 
the  eider-duck,  the  golden  plover,  and  the  snow- 
bimting,  spreading  their  wings,  produced  a  gay  and 
delightful  scene.  On  the  14th  the  navigators  reached 
the  island  of  Amitioke,  which  had  been  described  as 
situated  near  the  strait  they  were  then  endeavouring 
to  reach.  They  saw  about  two  hundred  walruses 
lying  piled,  as  usual,  over  each  other  on  the  loose 
drift-ice.  A  boat's  crew  from  each  ship  proceeded 
to  the  attack ;  but  these  gallant  amphibia,  some  with 
their  cubs  mounted  on  their  backs,  made  the  most 
desperate  resistance,  and  one  of  them  tore  the  planks 
of  a  boat  in  two  or  three  places.  Three  only  were 
killed,  the  flesh  of  which  was  found  tolerable,  afibrd* 
ing  a  variety  amid  the  ordinary  sea-diet. 

The  discoverers  now  proceeded  northwards,  and 


I  1 


RECENT  NORTH'lVEST  VOYAGES. 


241 


saw  before  them  a  bold  and  high  range  of  coast,  se- 
parated apparently  from  that  along  which  they  were 
sailing.  This  feature  agreeing  with  the  indications 
of  the  fair  Uigliuk,  flattered  them  that  they  were 
approaching  the  strait  exhibited  by  her  as  forming 
the  entrance  into  the  Polar  basin.  They  pushed  on 
full  of  hope  and  animation,  and  were  farther  cheered 
by  reaching  the  small  island  of  Igloolik,  which  she 
had  described  as  situated  at  the  very  commencement 
of  the  passage.  Accordingly  they  soon  saw  the  strait 
stretching  westward  before  them  in  long  perspec- 
tive ;  out,  alas !  they  discovered  at  the  same  moment 
an  unbroken  sheet  of  ice  from  shore  to  shore,  cross- 
ing and  blocking  up  the  passage ;  and  this  not  a  loose 
accidental  floe,  but  the  ice  of  the  preceding  winter, 
on  which  the  midsummer  sun  had  not  produced  the 
slightest  change.  Unable  to  advance  a  single  step, 
they  amused  themselves  with  land-excursions  in 
different  directions;  and  Captain  Parry  at  length 
determined,  on  the  14th  August,  with  a  party  of  six, 
to  undertake  an  expedition  along  the  frozen  surface 
of  the  strait.  The  journey  was  very  laborious,  the 
ice  being  sometimes  thrown  up  in  rugged  hummocks, 
and  occasionally  leaving  large  spaces  of  open  water, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  cross  on  a  plank,  or  on 
pieces  of  ice  instead  of  boats.  In  four  days  they 
came  in  view  of  a  peninsula  terminated  by  a  bold 
cape,  the  approach  to  which  was  guarded  by  succes- 
sive ranges  of  strata,  resembling  the  tiers  or  galleries 
of  a  high  and  commanding  fortification.  The  party, 
however,  scrambled  to  the  summit,  whence  they 
enjoyed  a  most  gratifying  spectacle.  They  were  at 
the  narrowest  part  of  the  strait,  here  about  two  miles 
across,  with  a  tide  or  current  running  through  it  at 
the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour.  Westward  the  shores 
on  each  side  receded,  till,  for  three  points  of  the 
compass  and  amid  a  clear  horizon,  no  land  was 
visible.  The  captain  doubted  not  that  from  tills  po- 
sition he  beheld  the  Polar  sea ;  into  which,  notwith- 

X 


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RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOVAGES. 


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Standing  the  formidable  barriers  of  ice  which  inter* 
vened,  ne  cherished  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of 
forcing  his  way.  He  named  this  the  strait  of  the 
Fury  and  Hecla,  and  gave  the  sailors  an  extra  can 
of  grog,  to  drink  a  safe  and  speedy  passage  through 
its  channel. 

Captain  Parry  now  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  the 
ships,  where  his  arrival  was  joyful  and  seasonable ; 
for  the  opposing  barrier,  which  had  been  gradually 
softening  and  breaking  into  various  rents  and  fissures, 
at  once  almost  entirely  disappeared,  and  the  vessels 
next  morning  were  in  open  water.  On  the  21st 
they  got  under  way ;  and,  though  retarded  by  fogs 
and  other  obstructions,  had  arrived  on  the  26th  at 
that  central  and  narrowest  channel  which  the  com- 
mander had  formerly  reached.  A  brisk  breeze  now 
sprang  up,  the  sky  cleared*  they  dashed  across  a  cur- 
rent of  three  or  four  knots  an  hour,  and  sanguinely 
hoped  for  an  entire  success,  which  would  compensate 
so  many  delays  and  disappointments.  Suddenly, 
from  the  crow's  nest  above,  it  was  announced  that 
ice,  in  a  continuous  and  impenetrable  field,  unmoved 
from  its  winter  station,  occupied  the  whole  breadth 
of  the  channel.  In  an  hour  they  reached  this  barrier, 
which  they  found  soft,  porous,  and  what  is  termed 
rotten.  Spreading  all  their  canvass,  they  bore  down 
upon  it,  and  actually  forced  their  way  through  a 
space  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards ;  but  there  they 
stuck,  and  found  their  progress  arrested  by  a  fixed 
and  impenetrable  mass.  From  this  point,  during  the 
whole  season,  the  ships  were  unable  to  advance  a 
single  step.  Nor  had  the  crews  any  means  of  ex- 
erting their  activity  except  in  land-journeys.  Cap- 
tain Lyon  undertook  an  expedition  southward,  to 
ascertain  if  any  inlet  or  passage  from  sea  to  sea  in 
this  direction  had  escaped  notice.  The  country, 
however,  was  so  filled  with  rugged  and  rocky  hillSf 
some  a  thousand  feet  high,  and  with  chains  of  lake* 
in  which  much  ice  was  floating,  that  he  could  not  pro' 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


;h  inter* 
opes  of 
t  of  the 
Ktra  can 
through 

ig  to  the 
sonable ; 
radually 
fissures, 
vessels 
he  21st 
by  fogs 
26th  at 
he  com- 
eze  now 
ss  a  cur- 
nguinely 
ipensate 
uddenly, 
ced  that 
iinmoved 
breadth 
5  barrier, 
s  termed 
)re  down 
tirough  a 
lere  they 
a  fixed 
iring  the 
vance  a 
s  of  ex« 
;.     Cap- 
ivard,  to 
to  sea  in 
country, 
ky  hills, 
of  lakes 
not  pro- 


243 


ceed  above  seven  miles.  Though  it  was  the  begin- 
ning of  September,  the  season  was  only  that  of  early 
sprmg;  and  the  buds  of  the  poppy  and  saxifrage 
were  just  unfolding,  to  be  prematurely  nipped  by  the 
fast-approaching  winter. 

More  satisfactory  information  was  derived  from 
another  excursion  made  by  Messrs.  Reid  and  Bush- 
man,  who  penetrated  sixty  miles  westward  along 
the  southern  coast  of  Cockbum  Island,  till  they 
reached  a  pinnacle,  whence  they  saw,  beyond  all 
doubt,  the  Polar  ocean  spreading  its  boundless  ex- 
panse before  them ;  but  tremendous  barriers  of  ice 
filled  the  strait,  and  precluded  all  approach  towards 
that  great  and  desired  object. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  September,  and  the 
usual  symptoms,  of  deer  trooping  in  herds  southward, 
floating  pieces  of  ice  consolidating  into  masses,  and 
the  ♦hin  pancake  crust  forming  on  the  surface  of  the 
waters,  reminded  the  mariners,  not  only  that  they 
could  hope  for  no  farther  removal  of  the  obstacles 
which  arrested  their  progress,  but  that  they  must 
lose  no  time  in  providing  winter-quarters.  The 
middle  of  the  strait,  at  the  spot  where  they  had  been 
first  stopped,  occurred  as  the  station  whence  they 
would  be  most  likely  to  push  future  discovery ;  but 
prudence  suggested  a  doubt,  whether  the  ships,  en- 
closed in  this  icy  prison  with  such  strong  barriers  on 
•'ach  side,  might  ever  be  able  to  effect  their  extrica- 
tion. It  appeared,  at  all  events,  a  serious  considera- 
tion, that  tliey  might  be  shut  up  here  for  eleven 
months,  surrounded  by  rocks  and  ice,  amid  the  pri- 
vations of  an  Arctic  winter.  By  returning  to  Igloo- 
lik,  they  would  be  ready  to  catch  thr  earliest  open- 
ing, which  was  expected  to  take  place  on  the  east- 
ern sides  from  whence  a  few  days  would  then  bring 
Ihem  to  their  present  station. 

On  tlie  30th  October,  by  the  usual  operation  of 
sawing,  the  ships  were  established  in  a  harbour  at 
Igloolik.    The  ensuing  season  was  passed  with  the 


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244 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


most  careful  attention  to  the  health  and  comfort  of 
the  crews ;  but  though  their  spirits  did  sink,  there 
appears  to  have  been,  on  the  whole,  less  of  gayety  and 
lightness  of  heart  than  in  the  two  former  winterings. 
We  hear  nothing  of  the  drama  or  even  of  the  school. 
In  this  position,  north  of  Winter  Island,  they  were 
deprived  for  about  seven  weeks  of  the  sun's  cheering 
beams.  On  the  2d  December  refraction  still  showed, 
from  the  deck  of  the  Fury,  about  the  sixteenth  part 
of  his  disk.  About  the  new  year,  Arcturus  and  Ca- 
pellaj  stars  of  the  first  magnitude,  were  visible  for 
naif  an  hour  before  and  after  midday.  On  the  5th 
January  (1823),  the  horizon  was  so  brightly  suf- 
fused with  red,  that  they  hoped  ere  long  to  see  the 
sun's  orb  burst  forth ;  but  a  fortnight  of  thick  fog 
occasioned  a  disappointment.  On  the  19th,  the  sky 
having  cleared,  they  saw  him  rise,  attended  by  two 
parhelia,  and  both  crews  turned  out  to  enjoy  the 
novelty  and  splendour  of  this  cheering  spectacle. 

The  sailors  found  at  Igloolik  a  colony  of  Esqui- 
maux, who  received  them  at  first  with  surprise  and 
some  degree  of  alarm ;  but,  on  learning  they  were 
from  Winter  Island  and  intimate  with  its  tenants  of 
last  season,  they  hailed  them  at  once  as  familiar 
acquaintances.  These  natives  belonged  to  the  same 
tribe,  and  were  connected  by  alliance  and  close 
relationship  with  many  individuals  of  the  Winter 
Island  party;  of  whom,  therefore,  they  weie  de- 
lighted to  receive  tidings.  The  crews  spent  tho 
winter  with  them  on  quite  a  friendly  footing,  and 
rendered  important  services  to  them  during  a  period 
of  severe  sickness.  This  intercourse,  however,  was 
not  on  the  whole  nearly  so  satisfactory  as  in  the 
former  place  and  season.  It  began  to  be  observed, 
that  their  attachment  to  the  Kabloonas  was  greatly 
prompted  by  interest  and  by  the  hope  of  extracting 
presents  ;  that  they  begged  for  food  and  gifts  almost 
without  intermission,  and  yet  showed  no  gratitude 
on  receiving  them ;  taking  much  less  into  considera* 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


245 


fort  of 
there 
ety  and 
terings. 
school. 
5y  were 
leering 
howed, 
th  part 
nd  Ca- 
ble for 
he  5th 
ly  suf. 
jee  the 
ck  fog 
he  sky 
t)y  two 
oy  the 
cle. 
Esqui- 
se  and 
T  were 
mts  of 
imiliar 
3  same 
close 
Winter 
le  de- 
it  tho 
Xi  and 
period 
r,  was 
n  the 
erved, 
reatly 
icting 
Imost 
titiide 
idera> 


tlon  what  they  themselves  got,  than  what  others  got 
more  than  they.  The  indifference  shown  towards 
such  of  their  own  tribe  as  were  in  a  debilitated  and 
suffering  state  was  viewed  also  with  much  dissatis- 
faction. Kagha,  a  widow,  cursed  certainly  with  a 
most  frightful  temper,  was  found  almost  perishing 
through  neglect.  Captain  Lyon  took  her  into  his 
own  cabin,  where,  however,  her  filth  and  scolding 
made  her  a  perfect  nuisance;  so  that,  after  being 
recruited  and  clothed  in  two  folds  of  deer-skin,  she 
was  remanded  to  the  huts.  Ten  days  after  she  was 
found  at  the  point  of  death,  solely,  it  appeared, 
through  want  of  food ;  and  though  removed  imme- 
diately to  the  ship's  hospital,  she  died  next  day. 
Our  people  were  also  much  displeased  at  the  stoical 
firmness  with  which  the  relations  received  notice 
of  two  of  their  deceased  kindred,  whom  the  dogs 
had  dug  up  from  under  the  snow,  that  formed  their 
only  covering,  and  had  devoured.  It  was  indeed 
very  difficult  to  find  an  earthy  grave  beneath  the 
glebe,  now  frozen  as  hard  as  rock ;  bu«,  an  Esqui- 
maux acquaintance  having  lost  his  wife,  the  sailors 
piled  over  her  such  a  heap  of  stones  as  might  defy 
ihe  attempts  of  all  the  animals,  wild  and  tame, 
which  prowl  throughout  this  dreary  region.  The 
man  gave  thanks,  but  not  cordially ;  he  even  ex- 
pressed a  dread  lest  the  pressure  of  this  huge  pile 
would  be  painfully  felt  by  his  deceased  spouse;  and 
soon  after,  when  an  infant  died,  he  declared  her 
wholly  incapable  of  bearing  such  a  burden,  and 
would  allow  nothing  but  snow  to  be  laid  over  her. 
The  Esquimaux,  during  this  expedition,  became 
the  subjects  of  a  more  minute  observation  than  had 
ever  before  been  made  upon  them  by  Europeans. 
They  constitute  a  most  widely  diffused  race,  occu- 
pying all  the  shores  of  the  Northern  Ocean,  and 
embracing  nearly  the  entire  circuit  of  the  globe. 
Richardson  and  Franklin  found  them  along  the  whole 
coast  of  the  American  Polar  sea ;  Kotzebue  in  the 

X9 


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■'       i 


'I 


246 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


m 


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I  i 


channel  near  Behring's  Straits.  The  Samoiedes 
and  Kamtchadales,  in  northern  Asia,  seem  to  belong 
to  the  same  family.  A  similarity  of  visage  and  figure, 
boats,  huts,  and  instruments, — even  a  resemblance 
in  habits,  character,  and  mode  of  life, — ^might  have 
been  produced  by  the  common  pressure  of  the  same 
very  peculiar  outward  circumstances.  Tlie  affinit]^ 
of  speech,  however,  which  is  such  as  proves  the  dia- 
lects of  all  the  Esquimaux  to  be  mere  varieties  of 
one  common  language,  affords  a  clear  proof,  that  an 
original  race  from  some  one  quarter  has  spread  over 
the  whole  range  of  those  immense  and  desolate 
shores.  This  migration  must  have  been  facilitated 
by  the  vast  continuity  of  coast  which  stretches  along 
the  Arctic  Ocean,  ami  v/hich  is  not  equalled  in  any 
other  quarter.  Hence,  probably,  the  Esquimaux,  at 
distant  ages,  connected  the  old  and  the  new  conti- 
nents, which  at  all  other  points  were  then  wholly 
unknown  to  each  other. 

The  external  form  of  that  people  seems  influenced, 
and,  as  it  were,  characterized  by  the  severity  of  the 
climate.  Their  stature  is  decidedly  lower  than  that 
of  the  European ;  five  feet  nine  inches  being  con- 
sidered even  in  a  man  as  almost  gigantic.  Though 
the  trunk  of  the  body  is  somewhat  thick,  all  the  ex- 
tremities are  small,  especially  the  hands  and  feet,  and 
the  fingers  short.  The  face  is  broad  and  flat,  the 
nose  small,  and  at  the  same  time  sunk  so  deep,  that 
in  some  instances  a  ruler  could  be  applied  from  cheek 
to  cheek  without  touching  it.  It  is  somewhere  ob- 
served, that  their  visage  presents  that  peculiar  form 
which  the  human  face  naturally  assumes  under  ex- 
posure to  intense  cold,  when  all  the  projecting  fea- 
tures are  drawn  in  and  the  cheeks  consequently 
pushed  out.  In  the  same  way  exposure  to  the 
weather  may  perhaps  produce  the  hign  cheek-bones 
of  mountaineers.  Under  these  modifications,  how- 
ever, both  their  body  and  limbs  are  very  tolerably 
shaped.    Even  the  female  countenance,  though  with- 


fnoiedes 
)  belong 
d  figure, 
nblance 
ht  have 
le  same 
affinity 
the  dia- 
eties  of 
tliat  an 
ad  over 
lesolate 
militated 
is  along 
in  any 
laux,  at 
IT  conti- 
whoUy 

uenced, 
'  of  the 
lan  that 
ig  con- 
rhough 
the  ex- 
set,  and 
flat,  the 
sp,  that 
1  cheek 
ere  ob- 
if  form 
ier  ex- 
ng  fea- 
juently 
to  the 
L'bones 
),  how- 
lerably 
h  with- 


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Group  of  Eiqiilimnix.~{p.  9M.\ 


it 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST    VOYAGES. 


247 


|1' 


out  pretensions  to  regular  beauty,  is  often  agreeable, 
with  a  frank  and  good-humoured  expression ;  so  that, 
were  it  cleared  of  the  thick  crust  of  grease  and  dirt, 
80  as  to  exhibit  the  real  complexion,  which  is  only 
that  of  a  deep  brunette,  it  might,  even  in  Europe,  be 
reckoned  handsome.  The  skin  is  unctuous  and  un- 
pleasantly cold  to  the  touch ;  the  flesh  soft  and  flabby, 
owing  probably  to  the  fat  animal  substances  Mliich 
form  the  principal  part  of  their  food. 

Dress,  through  the  necessity  imposed  by  the  cli- 
mate, is  much  more  ample,  and  prepared  with  greater 
care,  than  is  usual  among  other  savage  tribes.  That 
of  the  men  chiefly  consists  in  a  double  coat  of  deer- 
skin ;  the  inner  part  of  which,  having  the  hair  placed 
next  the  body,  serves  as  a  shirt,  while  from  the  outer 
a  spacious  hood  is  raised  to  cover  the  head.  The 
breeches,  of  the  same  material,  and  also  double,  reach 
down,  overlapping  the  boots,  which  extend  to  the 
knee,  and  are  composed  either  of  deer-skin,  or,  if 
intended  for  hunting  and  travelling,  of  the  hide  of 
the  seal  and  walrus.  The  dress  of  the  females  con- 
sists of  the  same  particulars,  with  only  some  varia- 
tions in  form.  They  considered  themselves  particu- 
larly fortunate  in  wearing  breeches,  and  could  not 
hear  without  pity  of  their  sisters  in  Europe,  whom 
the  caprice  of  fashion  had  deprived  of  so  comfortable 
a  habiliment.  Their  chief  distinction  lay  in  their 
boots,  framed  of  such  capacious  dimensions  as  to 
make  each  leg  appear  as  thick  as  the  body,  and  allow 
them  to  move  only  in  a  waddling  gait,  similar  to 
that  of  Muscovy  ducks.  These  boots  form,  however, 
most  spacious  receptacles  for  whatever  goods,  law- 
ful or  unlawful,  may  come  into  the  possession  of  tho 
fair  wearer.  Captain  Parry  suspects  that  this  huge 
buskin  was  originally  constructed  as  a  receptacle 
for  their  children,--a  practice  still  prevalent  among 
some  tribes, — zv/^  thus  retains  its  old  form,  though 
the  hood  is  now  generally  substituted  for  this  do* 
mestic  purpose. 


'!  Ut  i 


1  iU  ' 


248 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


f^ 


V' 


i!i: 


'*  t 


miR 


The  Esquimaux  do  not  huddle  on  these  garments 
in  a  rude  and  careless  manner,  as  a  mere  protection 
against  the  fierce  influence  of  the  climate :  they  dis- 
play, like  other  savages,  a  passion  for  embellishment 
and  finery.  Their  clothes  are  neatly  sewed  with 
threads  made  from  the  sinews  of  animals ;  the  effect 
of  their  rich  furs  is  heightened  by  being  arranged  in 
stripes  of  various  colours,  and  by  fringes  along  the 
border,  adjusted  often  with  considerable  taste.  They 
sought  anxiously  for  beads,  in  lieu  of  which  they 
had  ornamented  themselves  with  girdles  composed 
of  the  teeth  of  the  fox,  wolf,  or  musk-ox,  and  one 
female  had  fringed  her  jacket  with  a  long  row  of 
foxes'  noses.  It  was  suspected  that  these  ornaments 
might  be  regarded  in  some  degree  under  the  charac- 
ter of  amulets  or  charms.  Nor  do  the  Esquimaux 
omit  that  universsl  ornament  of  savages,  the  painting 
of  the  human  skin.  This  is  executed  not  by  the 
Indian  process  of  puncturing,  but  by  a  species  of 
sewing.  The  women  draw  under  the  epidermis  a 
needle,  with  a  thread  dipped  in  lamp-black  and  oil, 
which  being  taken  out,  and  pressure  applied  to  the 
part,  leaves  behind  it  a  permanent  olive  tint.  This 
operation,  when  performed  with  complete  success, 
does  not  draw  blood ;  but  the  execution  is  seldom 
carried  to  that  degree  of  perfection.  The  face,  arms, 
thighs,  and  sometimes  the  breasts  of  the  females, 
are  profusely  covered  with  this  artificial  tint. 

The  labour  necessary  for  subsistence  under  this 
rigorous  climate  is  more  arduous,  and  occupies  a 
greater  share  of  time,  than  among  any  other  race, 
either  civilized  or  savage.  The  ground,  frozen  for 
more  than  nine  months  of  the  year,  yields  neither 
root  nor  herb  which  can  form  a  standard  article  of 
food.  No  tame  animals  are  reared  for  this  purpose, 
their  dogs  being  so  applied  only  in  the  last  extremity. 
Hunting  is  their  only  resource;  and  hence  their  days 
are  spent  in  the  chase  of  the  wild  animals  which  m» 
b^bit  the  sea  and  the  shore,    They  lead  thus  a  Uf? 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


249 


of  contrivance  and  adventure,  in  the  course  of  which 
energy  and  hardihood  of  character  are  formed,  and 
many  faculties  amply  developed.  In  the  absence  oi 
extreme  scarcity  of  wood  and  iron,  they  make  use 
of  the  bones  of  animals,  which  they  have  of  aU 
shapes  and  sizes,  yet  this  is  often  found  too  inflexible 
a  material ;  while  cord  or  line  is  formed  by  cutting 
their  toughest  and  most  elastic  skins  into  long  stripes. 
Dunng  the  short  summer,  they  pursue  with  bow  and 
arrow  the  deer,  whose  flesh  as  meat,  and  whose  skin 
as  clothing,  are  esteemed  above  all  others.  The  eider 
and  other  ducks  also  furnish  them  with  food ;  while 
the  hide,  with  the  feathers  inwards,  forms  a  light  and 
comfortable  clothing.  The  early  winter,  however, 
compels  these  animals,  in  large  bands,  to  move  into 
more  genial  climes ;  and  hence,  for  nine  months  an- 
nually, their  food  must  be  found  in  the  waters.  These, 
indeed,  are  filled  with  the  large  cetaceous  fishes,  the 
seal,  the  walrus,  and  even  the  whale ;  but  the  hunters 
and  the  game  are  separated  by  a  thick  covering  of 
ice.  These  animals,  however,  though  they  make 
their  chief  dwelling  beneath  the  waves,  as  formerly 
observed,  experience  the  necessity  of  ascending  from 


ii< 


% 


!        ■ 


!    i 


^50 


RECENT  NORTH- wr.rr 


VOyAGES. 


\ 


time  to  time  for  the  puiposes  of  roopiration.  At  such 
moments  the  Esquimaux  watch  with  the  most  in- 
defatigable patience,  often  erecting  a  little  snow-shed 
to  protect  them  from  the  cold ;  and  the  instant  the 
animal  appears,  strike  into  him  a  dart  or  harpoon, 
of  which  they  have  several  forms  and  sizes,  and 
sometimes  throw  by  means  of  a  long  line,  a  neces- 
sary part  of  their  apparatus.  Their  grandest  achieve- 
ment, however,  consists  in  the  attack  of  the  whale ; 
on  which  occasion  a  large  body  of  them  unite,  armed 
with  a  variety  of  weapons.  When  struck  he  instantly 
plunges  into  the  water ;  but,  being  obliged  to  come 
up  at  short  intervals,  is  always  attacked  afresh,  till, 
overcome  by  fatigue  and  loss  of  blood,  this  mighty 
monarch  of  the  deep  remains  an  unresisting  prey. 
An  Esquimaux  does  not  hesitate,  even  singly,  to  at- 
tack the  Polar  bear,  the  fiercest  and  most  terrible  of 
all  the  Arctic  races.  In  this  encounter,  however, 
he  must  be  aided  by  a  band  of  his  trusty  dogs,  which 
rush  fearlessly  on,  keep  the  animal  at  bay,  and  assail 
him  on  all  sides;  while  the  master  advances  with 
his  spear,  and  avoiding,  with  almost  preternatural 
agility,  the  furious  springs  of  the  enraged  monster, 
pierces  him  with  repeated  strokes.  Nooses,  springes, 
and  traps  are  also  used  with  skill,  chiefly  against 
birds  and  foxes. 

The  Esquimaux  show  little  prudence  in  the  manage- 
ment of  their  supplies.  The  instant  that  tidings 
transpire  of  the  capture  of  a  walrus,  shouts  of  ex- 
ultation are  raised  through  the  village ;  as  its  inhabit- 
ants share  the  prize  in  common.  On  its  arrival, 
slices  are  instantly  cut  out,  every  laitip  is  supplied 
with  oil,  the  houses  are  in  a  blaze ;  all  the  pots  are 
filled  with  flesh,  and  the  women,  while  cooking,  pick 
out  and  devour  the  most  dainty  morsels,  The  feast 
prepared,  one  man  takes  up  a  large  piece,  applies  it 
to  his  mouth,  and  severs  with  his  teeth  as  much  as 
that  cavity  can  possibly  admit ;  then  hands  it  to  his 
neighbour,  and  he  to  the  next,  till  a]il  js  consumed. 


/■ 


!:  1 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES* 


261 


A  n6w  piece  is  then  supplied,  and  thus  the  process 
continues,  almost  without  intermission,  till  the  ani- 
mal is  entirely  consumed.  To  the  capacity  of  Es- 
quimaux stomachs  there  seems  scarcely  any  limit. 
Some  experiments  on  the  subject,  made  in  the  Fury, 
and  carefully  noted,  produced  the  most  surprising  re- 
sults. A  youth  named  Toolooak  stands  recorded  as 
having,  in  twenty-one  hours,  received  into  his  sto- 
mach ten  pounds  four  ounces  of  solid  food,  a  gallon 
and  a  pint  of  water,  with  more  than  a  pint  of  soup. 
Captain  Lyon  pitched  against  him  Kangara,  who  in 
nineteen  hours  finished  nine  pounds  fifteen  ounces  of 
solid,  and  a  gallon  and  a  half  of  fluid.  At  this  rate, 
the  most  ample  store  very  speedily  disappears ;  one 
day  they  are  labouring  under  fever,  hemorrhage,  and 
all  the  maladies  incident  to  repletion ;  a  few  days 
after  they  are  without  a  morsel  to  eat. 

Considered  as  to  their  intellectual  condition,  the 
Esquimaux  have  not  the  least  tincture  of  what  goes 
by  the  i^ame  of  learning;  can  form  no  abstract 
ideas;  nor  count  above  ten,  the  number  of  their 
fingers.  Yet,  amid  a  life  somewhat  varied  and 
eventful,  many  f^aculties,  without  any  artificial  cul- 
ture, are  spontaneously  developed.  We  have  seen 
the  skill  displayed  in  the  construction  of  their  houses, 
as  well  as  in  pursuing  and  killing  the  various  te- 
nants of  the  earth  and  of  the  waters,  on  which  their 
subsistence  depends.  Their  migratory  habits  give 
them  a  considerable  extent  of  local  and  geographi- 
cal knowledge,  which  they  are  even  in  a  certain  de- 
gree able  to  systematize  and  delineate.  They  are 
also  shrewd  and  intelligent  in  all  the  affairs  of  com- 
mon life,  and  possess  a  considerable  talent  for  humour 
and  mimicry. 

In  their  moral  qualities,  the  Esquimaux,  ot  at  least 
this  particular  tribe,  present  much  that  is  worthy  of 
commendation.  At  the  first  opening  of  the  inter- 
course, the  most  undeviating  hoiiesty  marked  all 
their  conduct,  though  this  quality,  in  the  com-se  of 


252 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


1    * 


two  winters'  communication,  was  considerably  under- 
mined. They  were  exposed,  indeed,  to  most  severe 
temptation,  by  seeing  constantly  scattered  about  the 
ships  little  planks,  pieces  of  iron,  and  empty  tin  pots, 
which  was  to  them  as  if  the  decks  had  been  strewed 
with  gold  and  jewels.  It  also  came  to  their  know- 
ledge, that,  in  some  of  their  early  exchanges,  rich 
skins  had  been  bartered  for  beads,  and  other  trifles 
of  no  real  value, — a  system  against  which  they  ex- 
claimed as  absolute  robbery.  From  first  to  last  the 
virtue  now  mentioned  was  practised  among  them- 
selves in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  golden  age.  Their 
dresses,  sledges,  and  all  their  implements  of  hunting 
and  fishing,  were  left  exposed  inside  or  outside  of 
the  huts,  without  any  instance  being  known  of  their 
having  been  canied  off^.  Property,  without  the  aid 
3f  laws  and  tribunals,  was  in  the  most  perfect  security. 
The  common  right  to  the  products  of  the  chase 
marks  also  a  singular  union,  without  seeming  to  re- 
lax their  diligence  in  search  of  food,  though  it  may 
perhaps  contribute  to  their  very  thoughtless  consump- 
tion of  it.  The  navigators  admit  that  they  were  re- 
ceived with  the  most  cordial  hospitality  into  the  lit- 
tle huts,  where  the  best  meat  was  set  before  them, 
and  the  women  vied  with  each  other  in  the  atten- 
tions of  cooking,  drying,  and  mending  their  clothes. 
"  The  women  working  and  singing,  their  husbands 
quietly  mending  their  lines,  the  children  playing  be- 
fore the  door,  and  the  pot  boiling  over  the  blaze  of  a 
cheerful  lamp,"  gave  a  pleasing  picture  of  savage  life. 
Yet  a  continued  intercourse  showed  that  the  Esqui- 
maux inherited  their  full  share  of  human  frailty. 
Begging  we  shall  pass  over,  though  in  many  in- 
stances persevering  and  incessant,  t^cause  it  seems 
to  have  been  called  forth  almost  entirely  by  their 
connexion  with  our  countrymen,  and  by  too  lavish 
presents  at  the  first ;  while  their  little  bursts  of  envy 
appear  to  have  flowed  from  the  same  source.  Rut 
the  fair  Esquimaux  are  charged  with  a  strong  pro- 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


253 


>ly  under- 

st  severe 

ibout  the 

tin  pots, 

I  strewed 

lir  know- 

iges,  rich 

ler  trifles 

they  ex- 

I  last  the 

ig  them- 

5.    Their 

f  hunting 

utside  of 

I  of  their 

t  the  aid 

security. 

tie  chase 

ng  to  re- 

^h  it  may 

lonsump- 

were  re- 

0  the  lit- 

>re  them, 

le  atten- 

clothes. 

msbands 

ying  be- 

aze  of  a 

age  life. 

5  Esqui- 

frailty. 

iany  in- 

it  seems 

by  their 

o  lavish 

of  envy 

e.    Rut 

•ng  pro- 


pensity to  slander  and  detraction,  which  were  as 
busy  among  them,  as  they  sat  in  circles  round  the 
door  mending  their  lines,  as  in  the  most  fashionable 
drawing-rooms.  Their  own  conduct,  meantime,  is 
said  to  have  afforded  the  most  ample  scope  for  cen- 
sure, especially  in  regard  to  connubial  fidelity;  and  yet 
when  it  is  admitted  that  these  faults  were  carefully 
concealed,  and  much  outward  decorum  observed,  and 
that  the  propensity  to  calumny  often  led  the  natives 
beyond  the  strict  limits  of  truth,  we  doubt  whether 
too  implicit  reliance  may  not  have  been  placed  on  the 
scandalous  chronicle  of  the  frozen  regions.  The 
natives  certainly  do  appear  to  display  a  peculiar  apa- 
thy in  regard  to  the  sufferings  and  even  the  death  of 
neighbours  and  relations.  Widows,  and  the  aged 
and  infirm,  if  they  have  not  children  of  their  own, 
experience  the  greatest  indifference.  In  times  of 
plenty,  indeed,  they  share  in  the  general  abundance 
of  food;  but  during  scarcity  a  very  small  quan- 
tity reaches  them,  and,  receiving  no  attendance 
in  their  sickness,  they  often  perish  through  pure 
want  and  neglect.  The  children  are  treated  with 
extreme  tenderness;  though  the  practice  of  adop- 
tion, which  prevails  most  extensively,  and  which 
establishes  in  full  force  between  the  parties  the  ties 
of  father  and  child,  is  practised  with  regard  to  boys 
only,  and  seemingly  with  the  view  that  they  may 
contribute  to  support  the  old  age  of  their  factitious 
parents. 

The  religious  ideas  of  the  Esquimaux,  though  they 
cannot  be  dignified  with  any  better  name  than  su- 
perstition, are  not  much  more  absurd  than  the  popular 
creed  of  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans.  Their 
principal  deity  is  Ay  willaiyoo,  a  female,  immensely 
tall,  with  only  the  left  eye,  wearing  a  pigtail,  reach- 
ing to  her  knee,  80  thick  that  it  can  scarcely  be  grasped 
by  both  hands.  Captain  Lyon  witnessed  a  mighty 
incantation,  in  which  Toolemak,  the  chief  magician, 
summoned  Aywillaiyoo  io  the  upper  world  to  utter 

Y 


til 


i 


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I. 


r"'/' 


■ 
I'  h 

M 

J   ! 

Mi 

V, 


: 


u 


*  f 


'i' 


254 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


w»h 


i 


i'i 


her  oracles.  The  party  were  assembled  in  a  hut, 
where  light  after  light  was  put  out,  till  they  were  left 
in  total  darkness.  Toolemak,  then,  after  loud  invo- 
cations, professed  to  descend  to  the  world  below  to 
bring  up  the  goddess.  Soon  there  arose  a  low  chant 
of  peculiar  sound,  imagined  to  be  the  voice  of  Ay  wil- 
laiyoo.  During  half  an  hour,  in  reply  to  the  loud 
screams  and  questions  of  her  votaries,  she  uttered 
dubious  and  mystical  responses;  after  which  the 
sound  died  away,  and  she  was  supposed  to  descend 
beneath  the  earth,  when  Toolemak,  with  a  shout,  an- 
nounced his  own  return  to  the  upper  world.  The 
magician  however,  being  soon  after  on  board  a  Bri- 
tish ship,  was  treated  with  nine  glasses  of  hot  water 
(brandy),  under  the  influence  of  which  he  began  to 
act  over  again  his  enchantments,  when  it  appeared, 
that  by  varying  modes  of  applying  the  hand  or  jacket 
to  the  mouth,  he  produced  those  changeful  and  mys- 
terious sounds  which  had  passed  for  the  words  of 
Aywillaiyoo.  This  divinity  has  for  her  father 
a  giant  with  one  arm.  The  Esquimaux  pan*- 
theon  comprises,  moreover,  Pamiooli,  a  spirit  fre- 
quently invoked,  and  a  large  bear,  whose  dwelling 
is  in  the  middle  of  the  ice,  and  who  frequently 
holds  converse  with  mankind.  The  natives  believe 
also  in  a  future  world,  the  employments  and  plea- 
sures of  which,  according  to  the  usual  creed  of 
savage  races,  are  all  sensual.  The  soul  descends 
beneath  the  earth  through  successive  abodes,  the 
first  of  which  has  somewhat  of  the  nature  of  pur- 
gatory; but  the  good  spirits  passing  througti  it 
find  the  other  mansions  successively  improve,  till 
they  reach  that  of  perfect  blis«,  far  beneath,  where 
the  sun  never  sets,  and  where,  by  the  side  of  large 
lakes  that  never  freeze,  the  deer  roam  in  vast 
herds,  and  the  seal  and  walrus  always  abound  in  the 
waters. 

We  now  return  to  the  progress  of  the  expedition 
The  spring  was  singularly  unfavourable.    Captain* 


RECENT    NORTH-WEST   VOYAGES. 


255 


1  a  htit, 
vereleft 
ud  invo- 
)elow  to 
w  chant 
F  Ay  wil- 
jie  loud 
littered 
lich  the 
descend 
lout,  an- 
d.  The 
d  a  Brj- 
ot  water 
legan  to 
ppeared, 
►r  jacket 
nd  mys- 
'ords  of 
•  father 
IX  pan)> 
>irit  fre- 
Iwelling 
iquently 
believe 
id  plea- 
reed  of 
escends 
les,  the 
of  pur- 
ougri  it 
ove,  till 
,  where 
)f  large 
in  vast 
d  in  the 

edition 
^aptain 


Lyon  attempted  to  penetrate  across  Melville  Penin- 
sula, but  found  the  route  so  rugged  and  so  barred  by 
steep  chains  of  mountains,  that  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn in  nineteen  days  without  any  discovery,  except 
of  two  rapid  rivers  falling  into  the  sea  near  Igloolik. 
Lieutenant  Hoppner  accompanied  a  party  of  Esqui- 
maux to  Cockburn  Island,  but  could  not  penetrate  to 
any  distance  inland.  It  was  the  7th  of  August  before 
they  were  able,  by  severe  sawing,  to  reach  the  open 
sea ;  by  which  time  Captain  Parry  had  renounced  the 
hope  of  effecting  any  thing  important  during  the  short 
remnant  of  this  season.  He  formed,  however,  a  very 
bold  plan,  which  was  to  bring  all  the  stores  of  the 
other  vessel  on  board  the  Fury,  and  \vith  it  alone  to 
brave  a  third  winter  in  the  Polar  regions,  hoping  that 
the  succeeding  summer  might  be  more  propitious. 
But  as  he  was  preparing  to  carry  this  too  <iaring  pro- 
ject into  effect,  a  report  was  made  that  symptoms  of 
scurvy  had  broken  out  on  several  of  the  crew,  whose 
physical  strength  appeared  to  be  generally  impaired 
by  the  two  hard  winters  through  which  they  had 
passed.  This  left  no  choice;  and,  in  compliance 
with  the  general  opinion  of  his  officers.  Captain  Parry 
began  his  voyage  homeward.  The  ships  were  drifted 
about  in  a  stormy  sea  covered  with  ice  for  t'venty- 
four  days;  but,  being  at  la-'  favoured  with  a  west- 
erly breeze,  they  crossed  th.  Atlantic,  and  on  the 
1 0th  of  October,  1823,  arr'veu  in  Brassa  Sound, 
Shetland.  After  two  succf  f-sive  years  thus  passed  in 
the  depths  of  the  froz'»n  wjrld,  .'^hence  not  the 
faintest  rumour  of  the  e\;ie('ition  hid  reached  Britain, 
its  members  were  viewed  almost  as  meu  lisen  from 
the  dead.  The  bells  of  Lerwick  were  rung,  and 
other  extraordinary  demonstrations  of  joy  made 
on  their  arrival.  In  a  few  days  they  entered  the 
Thames. 

Two  attempts  had  thus  been  made,  ^ach  to  a  cer- 
tain point  successful,  but  both  arrested  much  short 
«f  the  completion  of  the  grand  ealiMprise.    The 


411 


m 


I'M 


r^m 


^  {I 


n  * 


■  *i 


256 


RECENT   NORTH-WEST    VOYAGES. 


I,'     i 


government  at  home,  however,  were  not  willing  to 
stop  short  in  their  spirited  career.  The  western  ex- 
tremity of  Melville  Island,  and  the  strait  of  the  Fury 
and  Hecla,  appeared  to  be  both  so  blocked  up  as 
to  afford  little  hope ;  but  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  when 
explored  during  Captain  Pany's  voyag^e,  had  pre- 
sented, indeed,  an  icy  barrier,  but  such  a?*  had  so  often 
given  way  suddenly  and  almost  instantaneously,  that 
its  existence  early  in  the  season  could  not  be  con- 
sidered very  alarming.  A  passage  through  this 
channel  would  bring  the  ships  to  the  great  sea 
bounding  the  northern  coast  of  America,  that  had 
been  seen  from  the  strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  and 
along  which  Captain  Franklin  had  partly  sailed,  and 
by  which  there  was  the  fairest  hope  of  reaching,  by 
the  most  direct  route,  the  waters  of  the  great  Pacific. 
To  follow  up  these  views.  Captain  Parry  was  again 
fitted  out  in  the  Hecla ;  while,  in  the  accidental  ab- 
sence of  Captain  Lyon,  the  Fury  was  intrusted  to 
Lieutenant,  now  Captain  Hoppner,  who  had  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  operations  of  the  last  voyage. 

Tlie  expedition  set  sail  from  Northfleet  on  the  19th 
May,  1824,  and  was  in  Davis's  Strait  by  the  middle 
of  June.  As  the  season,  however,  chanced  to  be  pe- 
culiarly rigorous,  it  was  not  till  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, that,  after  repeated  repulses  and  severe  straining, 
they  caught  a  view  of  the  bold  and  magnificent 
shores  of  Lancaster  Sound,  in  which  a  few  solitary 
icebergs  were  floating.  After  this  they  thought 
themselves  fortunate,  when,  by  pushing  their  way 
through  many  miles  of  newly-formed  ice,  they 
reached  Port  Bowen  in  time  to  make  it  their  winter- 
quarters. 

The  provision  m^de  during  this  winter  for  the 
physical  well-being  of  the  expedition  was  still  more 
complete  than  in  the  former  voyages.  The  heat  of 
the  cabins  was  kept  up  to  between  50  and  60  degrees, 
and  the  seamen  wore  next  the  skin  a  dotliing  of  fur, 
a  substance  which  nature  has  endowed  with  a  warmtii 


h 

SI 


RECENT    NORTH-WEST    VOYAGES. 


257 


mg  to 
rn  ex- 
Fury 
up  as 
,  when 
d  pre- 
)  often 
y,  that 
e  con- 
h  this 
at  sea 
at  had 
la,  and 
3d,  and 
mg,  by 
r'acific. 
9  again 
ital  ab- 
sted  to 
I  taken 
royage. 
;he  19th 
middle 
o  be  pe- 
Septem- 
raining, 
Tiificent 
solitary 
thought 
3ir  way 
e,  they 
winter- 

for  the 
ill  more 
heat  of 
legrees, 
r  of  fur, 
warmtii 


far  surpassing  that  of  any  hitman  fabric.  Yet  the 
deep  monotony  produced  by  the  perfectly  uniform 
aspect  of  external  nature,  instead  of  becoming  less 
sensible  by  habit,  was  only  the  more  painfully  felt. 
As  the  Arctic  theatre  had  lost  its  attraction.  Captain 
Hoppner  started  the  idea  of  masquerades,  which 
were,  perhaps,  still  more  out  of  keeping  with  the 
place  and  persons  ;  but  the  sailors  caught  at  it  with 
pleasure,  and  on  these  occasions  all  of  them  acted 
their  part  wath  great  spirit,  and  with  strict  decorum. 
The  salutary  and  steady  influence  of  the  schools  was 
again  revived,  and  the  whole  crew  gave  their  pre- 
sence, either  as  teachers,  scholars,  or  spectators. 

The  spring  was  unusually  favourable,  and,  with 
comparatively  easy  sawing  of  the  ice,  the  navigators 
warped  out  to  sea  on  the  19th  July,  1825.  As  it  ap- 
peared most  desirable  to  coast  southward  along  the 
western  shore  of  the  inlet,  tliey  stood  across  the  bay, 
but  were  soon  arrested  by  a  continuous  barrier  of  ice, 
which,  however,  left  an  open  space  on  the  opposite 
side.  A  fruitless  attempt  was  now  made  to  penetrate 
southward,  the  channel  there  being  found  to  be 
equally  impeded  with  ice  ;  hence  it  was  judged  ad- 
visable, with  the  view  of  3eking  a  less  encumbered 
passage  along  the  western  shore,  to  stretch  to  the 
northward.  An  adverse  gale,  by  which  they  were 
overtaken  near  the  mouth  of  the  inlet,  now  drove 
Ahem  eastward ;  but  at  last  they  regained  llieir 
course,  and  soon  came  in  view  of  the  bold  face  of 
the  Leopold  Isles,  the  rocks  of  which  rise  in  hori- 
zontal strata  of  limestone  to  the  height  of  600  or  700 
feet,  resembling  a  huge  and  impregnable  fortress. 

Having  touched  at  Cape  Seppings,  Captain  Pany 
proceeded  down  the  inlet,  where  he  was  no  longer 
arrested  by  an  unbroken  barrier  of  ico.  The  sea, 
however,  was  still  heavily  encumbered  by  numerous 
small  fragments,  thiit  were  tossing  about  in  every 
direction,  and  pressed  upon  the  ships  so  hard,  tha? 
the  men  wished  for  a  contrary  wind;  which,  coming 

Y2 


'r 


t 


Ml 


Ml' 


258 


RECENT  NORTH-WEST  VOYAGES. 


t.'!*;^ 


( 


|1 
i  (t 


from  the  south,  would  open  and  disperse  the  masses 
collected  and  driven  against  them  by  the  north  wind. 
In  this  anxious  and  precarious  state,  they  worked 
slowly  on  till  the  1st  August,  when  they  reached  the 
latitude  of  72°  42',  longitude  91°  50'.  Here  Captain 
Parry,  from  the  Hecla,  saw  the  Fury  receive  a  most 
severe  shock  by  a  large  floe,  that  forced  her  against 
the  grounded  ice  of  the  shore ;  and  tidings  soon  came, 
that  she  had  been  very  sharply  nipped,  and  was  ad- 
mitting water  copiously.  The  commander  trusted 
that  this  would  prove  as  harmless  as  the  many  shocks 
which  this  vessel  had  already  endured;  that  the 
water  made  its  entry  by  means  of  the  twisted  position 
into  which  she  had  been  thrown ;  and  that,  when  she 
was  relieved  from  pressure^  h°r  leaks  would  close. 
But  the  next  accounts  were,  that  she  could  not  be 
kept  clear  of  water  except  by  the  action  of  four 
piunps,  at  which  the  whole  crew,  oflicers  and  men, 
were  obliged  to  work.  It  became  evident  that  the 
evils  under  which  she  laboured  could  only  be  dis- 
covered and  remedied  by  the  operation  of  heaving 
down,  by  which  her  position  being  reversed,  the  parts 
now  under  water  would  be  exposed  to  view.  This  e.-:- 
pedient  required  a  harbour,  and  there  was  none  at  hand ; 
however,  something  was  formed,  which  resembled 
one,  by  connecting  with  anchors  and  bower-cables 
the  grounded  ice  to  the  shore.  Four  days  were  spent 
in  unlading  the  Fury  of  those  ample  stores  with 
which  she  had  been  provided.  The  operation  was 
interrupted,  too,  by  a  violent  storm  of  snow  ;  while 
the  external  ice,  being  driven  in,  demolished,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  slender  bulwarks  by  which  the  vessel 
'ViXS  { f  cured.  Her  holds  were  filled  with  water,  and 
r  /ery  examinn^ion  proved  the  damage  of  her  hull  to 
J'  still  more  serious  than  was  at  first  apprehended. 
No  means  or  prospect  appeared,  either  of  securing 
her  in  her  present  position,  or  of  floating  her  to  any 
known  place  of  safety.  In  these  cirrumstancos,  Cap- 
tain Parry,  without  expressing  any  opinion  of  his 


RECENT   POLAR  VOYAGES. 


259 


masses 
th  wind, 
worked 
;hed  the 
Captain 
}  a  most 
against 
m  came, 
was  ad- 
trusted 
jr  shocks 
that  the 
position 
vhen  she 
Id  close, 
i  not  be 
I  of  four 
lUd  men, 
that  the 
y  be  dis- 
heaving 
the  parts 
This  e-'T^ 
at  hand; 
Bsembled 
er-cables 
ere  spent 
ires  with 
ition  was 

;  while 
in  a  great 
le  vessel 
atfr,  and 
er  hull  to 
ohended. 
securing 
T  to  any 

OS,  Cap- 
>n  of  his 


own,  called  for  a  report  from  Captain  Hoppner  and 
his  principal  officers,  all  of  whom  agreed  "  that  an 
absolute  necessity  existed  for  abandoning  the  Fury.*' 
Signals,  therefore,  were  immediately  made  to  the 
officers  and  men  to  carry  their  clothes  and  effects  on 
board  the  Hecla.  The  stores,  from  want  of  room, 
were  necessarily  abandoned  silong  with  the  ship; 
and  barrels  of  beef,  beer,  biscuit,  and  other  valuable 
articles  of  provision,  were  left  exposed  on  those 
savage  and  desolate  shores,  where  they  were  unlikely 
to  aftbrd  aid  or  benefit  to  any  human  being.  After 
such  a  disaster,  and  the  end  of  August  being  arrived, 
there  was  just  time  enough  left  to  bring  the  Hecla 
home  with  a  fair  prospect  of  safety, — an  event  which 
was  in  due  time  accomplished. 


% 


CHAPTER  Vm. 


Recent  Voyages  ((ywards  the  Korth  Pole, 

Since  the  times  of  Hudson  and  Fotherby,  during 
the  lapse  of  more  than  a  century,  the  attempt  to 
reach  and  to  cross  the  North  Pole  had  not  been  re- 
sumed. The  extraordinary  zeal,  however,  which,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  and  under 
the  patronage  of  that  excellent  monarch,  was  kindled 
in  the  cause  of  naval  discovery,  failed  not  to  extend 
in  every  direction.  Mr.  Daines  Barrington,  distin- 
guished by  the  union  of  rank  with  scientific  acquire- 
i7ients,  espoused  with  ardour  the  belief  that,  in  spite 
of  every  obstacle,  the  Pole  of  the  earth  might  be 
reached,  and  various  facts  thereby  brought  to  light, 
which  at  present  are  hid  in  mystery.  He  read  to 
the  Royal  Society  several  papers  ou  this  subject, 
which  were  afterward  reduced  into  a  separate  trea- 


W    « 


ill 


H  '  m 


\lr\ 


h-* 


4.^^ 


H 


i',' 


n^mi^'i-' 


\l 


i 


;iii 


1260 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


tise ;  and  that  learned  body,  imbibing  with  zeal  th« 
opinions  of  their  eminent  associate,  solicited  the 
Board  of  Admiralty  to  fit  out  an  expedition  which 
might  attempt  to  realize  this  interesting  object.  The 
Earl  of  Sandwich,  then  at  the  head  of  the  naval  de- 
partment, entered  with  ardour  into  the  Society's 
vieAvs,  and  drew  up  the  plan  of  an  expedition,  which 
he  submitted  to  his  majesty,  assured  of  meeting  with 
his  cordial  concurrence.  The  intentions  of  govern- 
ment having  now  transpired,  Captain  John  Phipps, 
afterward  Lord  Mulgrave,  oflfered  himself  for  the 
command,  and  was  accepted.  Two  bomb-vessels, 
known  under  the  rather  odd  names  of  the  Race- 
horse and  the  Carcass,  were  selected,  and  stored  with 
an  extra  provision  of  wine,  spirits,  and  whatever  else 
could  contribute  to  the  comfort  and  health  of  the 
crews.  The  Carcass  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Lutwidge,  under  whom  Horatio  Nelson,  afterward 
so  celebrated  in  the  naval  annals  of  Britain,  served 
as  cockswain.  Other  equipments  were  added,  not 
hitherto  customary  in  nautical  expeditions.  Those 
formerly  fitted  out  in  England  were  chiefly  set  on  foot 
by  mercantile  bodies,  who  were  content  to  combine 
geographical  discovery  with  certain  views  of  com- 
mercial advantage.  The  expeditions  projected  under 
the  auspices  of  George  IIL  were  the  first  which  had 
the  promotion  of  science  for  their  sole  object.  Mr. 
Israel  Lyons,  an  eminent  astronomical  observer,  was 
employed  by  the  Board  of  Longitude  to  supply  the 
ships  with  suitable  instruments ;  they  also  sent  two 
chronometers,  constructed  with  the  greatest  care  by 
Kendall  and  Arnold  for  measuring  the  distance 
from  the  first  meridian,  by  difference  of  time.  Mr. 
Cumming  constructed  a  seconds-pendulum,  fitted 
to  determine  the  range  of  that  instrument  in  high 
latitudes.  Sir  Joseph  Banks  and  M.  d'Vlembert, 
drew  up  papers  suggesting  various  scientific  objects, 
respecting  which  observations  would  be  desirable. 
The  vessels  were  also  suDnUed  with  Dr.  Irving's  ap- 


Ih 


sal  th« 
ed  the 
which 
i.    The 
.val  de- 
)ciety's 
,  which 
ng  with 
govem- 
Phipps, 
for  the 
vessels, 
3  Race- 
red  with 
iver  else 
h.  of  the 
sutenant 
'terward 
I,  served 
ded,  not 
Those 
t  on  foot 
combine 
of  com- 
Bd  under 
lick  had 
ct.    Mr. 
ver,  was 
Dply  the 
jent  two 
care  by- 
distance 
le.    Mr. 
fitted 
in  high 
lembert, 
objects, 
esirable, 
ing's  ap- 


n 


RECENT  POLAR  TOYAGES. 


261 


paratus  for  distilling  fresh  water  from  the  sea, — an 
mvention  which,  being  then  recent,  excited  much  in- 
terest. 

Thus  equipped,  the  expedition  began  to  move  on 
the  21st  May,  1773 ;  but  being  detained  by  contrary 
winds,  could  not  quit  the  Nore  till  the  4th  June. 
The  last  object  seen  on  land  was  Whitby  Abbey ; 
and  Captain  Phipps  then  steered  into  the  mid-chan- 
nel of  the  German  Ocean,  endeavouring  to  avoid 
equally  Norway  and  Shetland.  In  sixty  degrees  of 
latitude  the  sun  set  about  twenty  minutes  past  nine ; 
the  clouds  making  a  beautiful  appearance  by  its  re- 
flection from  below  the  horizon.  In  latitude  66°,  on 
the  19th  June,  that  luminary,  even  at  midnight,  was 
still  visible.  Captain  Phipps  here  undertook  to 
make  deeper  soundings  than  were  ever  known  to 
have  been  before  attempted ;  and  with  a  very  heavy 
lead  he  reached  780  fathoms.  The  temperature  at 
that  depth  was  26°  Fahrenheit,  while  in  the  air  it 
was  48°.  Trial  was  now  made  of  Dr.  Irving's  ap- 
paratus, which  was  considered  completely  success- 
ful, inasmuch  as  it  was  found  to  produce  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  perfectly  good  water  either  for  drinking 
or  cooking,  without  any  inconvenient  expense  of  fuel. 
This  favourable  opinion  has  not  been  confirmed  by 
nautical  experience;  and  the  practice,  chiefly,  we 
believe,  from  the  quantity  of  fuel  required,  has  never 
come  into  general  use. 

On  the  27th  June,  the  navigators  found  themselves 
in  the  latitude  of  the  southern  part  of  Spitzbergen, 
without  any  appearance  either  of  ice  or  land.  On 
the  29th  they  saw  the  shore,  and  stood  close  in  with 
it.  This  coast  "appeared  to  be  neither  habitable 
nor  accessible;  for  it  was  formed  by  high  barren 
black  rocks,  without  the  least  mark  of  vegetation ; 
in  many  places  bare  and  pointed ;  in  other  parts  co- 
vered with  snow,  appearing  even  above  the  clouds : 
the  valleys  between  the  high  cliffs  were  filled  with 
snow  and  ice.    The  prospect  would  have  suggested 


<i 


•J 


•  ■! 


^il 


'(' 


{' 


II 


n 


•i  & 


I 


[  .1 


i 

fi 

H 


i 


w 


,i  \ 


H 


262 


RECENT    POLAR   VOYAGES. 


the  idea  of  perpetual  winter,  had  not  the  mildness  of 
the  weather,  the  smooth  water,  bright  sunshine,  and 
constant  daylight,  given  a  cheerfulness  and  novelty 
to  the  whole  of  this  striking  ^nd  romantic  scene." 
The  mariners  enjoyed  fine  we^iher  in  sailing  along 
this  bold  and  lofty  coast,  and  measured  the  height  of 
several  of  the  mountains,  one  of  which  was  found 
to  be  4500  feet.  On  the  30th  June  they  learned  from 
the  master  of  a  Greenland  vnssel,  that  the  ice  lay 
sixteen  leagues  off  to  the  westward,  and  that  one 
Dutch  and  two  English  ships  had  been  lost  in  the 
course  of  the  season. 

In  the  first  days  of  July,  Captain  Phipps  con- 
tinued to  steer  along  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  pass- 
ing several  Greenland  ships  busily  engaged  in  the 
fishery.  On  the  4th  he  came  to  Magdalena  Hoek, 
near  which  he  landed,  and  began  observations  upon 
the  variation  of  the  compass,  which  were  soon 
interrupted  by  a  thick  fog.  Being  informed  by  the 
Rockingham  Greenland  ship,  that  the  ice  was  ten 
leagues  off  Hakluyt's  Headland,  he  determined  to 
steer  for  that  north-western  extremity  of  Spitzbergen. 
On  the  5th,  as  he  was  avoiding  certain  islands  off 
Danes  Gat,  something  white  was  seen  amid  the 
mist,  and  a  noise  was  heard  as  of  surf  breaking  upon 
the  shore.  The  commander,  desiring  the  Carcass 
to  keep  close  to  him,  determined  to  stand  for  it,  and 
see  what  it  was.  Ere  long,  amid  thick  fog,  the 
crews  saw  an  object  on  their  bow,  partly  black,  and 
partly  covered  with  snow,  which  they  at  first  mis- 
took for  islands,  but  which  soon  proved  to  be  the 
main  body  of  the  ice,  on  which  wind  and  sea  were 
beating  with  violence,  and  from  which  they  could 
not  have  escaped,  except  by  constant  change  of  tack, 
and  by  the  utmost  alertness  of  oflicers  and  njen. 

Captain  Phipps,  finding  himself  now  upon  the 
main  northern  ice,  and  being  informed  that  it  ex- 
tended, unbioken,  to  the  north-west,  determined  to 
move  eastward, — a  direction  seldom  taken  by  tlw» 


1 


ss. 

the  mildness  of 
it  sunshine,  and 
ess  and  novelty 
)mantic  scene." 
in  sailing  along 
ed  the  height  of 
rhich  was  found 
ley  learned  from 
that  the  ice  lay 
d,  and  that  one 
been  lost  in  the 

ain  Phipps  con- 
pitzbergen,  pass- 
T  engaged  in  the 
[agdalena  Hoek, 
bservations  upon 
'hich  were   soon 
informed  by  the 
the  ice  was  ten 
le  determined  to 
tyof  Spitzbergen. 
;rtain  islands  off 
s  seen  amid  the 
rf  breaking  upon 
ring  the  Carcass 
0  stand  for  it,  and 
id  thick  fog,  the 
partly  black,  and 
rhey  at  first  mis- 
proved  to  be  the 
ind  and  sea  were 
which  they  could 
int  change  of  tack, 
cers  and  men. 
f  now  upon  the 
brmed  that  it  ex- 
3st,  determined  to 
dom  taken  by  th^ 


RECIWT  POLAR  VOYAGES". 


263 


whaie-fishers,  and  where  he  hoped  to  find  some 
opening  to  them  unknown.  Continuing  to  work  his 
way  against  the  wind,  between  the  ice  and  the  land, 
he  passed  first  Hakluyt's  Headland,  then  Vogel 
Sang,  and  on  the  7th  found  himself  approaching  the 
bold  pinnacle  of  Cloven  Cliff, — a  remarkable  pro- 
montory, named  from  its  resemblance  to  a  cloven 
hoof,  and  which,  from  its  perpendicular  forai,  is 
never  covered  with  snow.  Here,  as  the  frozen 
masses  increased  in  niu  er  and  size,  and  fresh  ice 
was  forming  on  the  sn'face  of  the  sea,  the  ofl[icer8 
and  men,  after  full  dehu  -ation,  concluded  it  vain  to 
attempt  penetrating  in  direction.    They  were 

farther  discouraged,  by  considering  that  this  was 
nearly  the  place  in  which  all  previous  navigators 
had  been  checked  in  their  efforts  to  reach  the  Pole. 
Captain  Phipps  therefore  determined  to  stand  to  the 
westward,  cherishing  some  hopes  of  a  passage  in 
that  direction.  He  had  a  dreary  run,  immersed  in 
fogs  so  thick,  that  the  ships^  even  when  very  near, 
could  not  see  each  other.  A  number  of  the  crew, 
notwithstanding  an  extra  allowance  of  wine  and 
spirits,  became  affected  with  rheumatic  colds  and 
pains  in  the  bones.  Having  made  ten  degrees  to  the 
westward,  without  the  least  appearance  of  an  open- 
ing, the  commander  determined  again  to  try  the  east, 
m  the  hope  that  the  continuance  of  warm  weather 
mrght  have  dissolved  the  barriers  which  had  formerly 
arrested  his  progress.  On  the  I2th  July  the  navi- 
gators were  again  in  the  vicinity  of  Cloven  Cliff, 
and  found  a  good  harbour  on  the  island,  to  which  it 
is  attached  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  Here  they  obtained 
abundance  of  water,  and,  notwithstanding  the  fog, 
made  some  important  celestial  observations  ;  taking 
the  bearings  and  altitudes  of  the  principal  objects  on 
the  coast.  In  endeavouring  to  push  on,  however^ 
Captain  Phipps  was  again  stopped  at  nearly  the 
same  point  as  before ;  finding  the  ice  locked  in  with 
the  land,  and  no  passage  either  to  the  east  ornortb. 


■(■ " 


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264 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


He  turned  once  more  in  despair  westward,  and  kept 
close  to  the  main  ice,  pushing  into  all  its  openings, 
some  of  which,  being  nearly  two  leagues  long,  af- 
forded hopes  of  a  passage ;  but  they  proved  to  be 
only  ice-bays.  Near  Hakluyt's  Headland  the  ships 
suffered  a  severe  pressure  between  a  loose  fragment 
of  ice  and  the  main  body.  The  commander  now 
found  it  very  unsafe  to  proceed  before  an  easterly 
wind,  which  brought  in  all  the  loose  pieces,  and  drove 
them  against  the  great  mass,  making  it  resemble  a 
rocky  shore ;  and  it  proved  both  easier  and  safer  to  sail 
against  the  wind.  Captain  Phipps  resolved,  in  spite 
of  repeated  repulses,  to  make  another  effort  to  the 
eastward ;  and  this  time  he  had  some  success.  Mak- 
ing way  through  the  loose  fragments,  he  came  to  an 
open  sea,  stretching  north-east,  which  inspired  the 
most  flattering  hopes.  The  coast  was  neither  so 
lofty,  nor  exhibited  the  same  dark  monotonous  aspect, 
as  the  one  he  had  just  passed ;  the  tints,  being  more 
varied  and  having  more  of  the  natural  colour  of 
earth,  had  caused  the  early  navigators  to  give  to 
different  points  the  names  of  R^d  Beach,  Red  Hill, 
and  Red  Cliff.  At  length  he  reached  Moflfen,  an 
island  low  and  flat,  covered  with  numerous  flocks  of 
wild  fowl.  He  continued  two  days  longer  to  sail 
through  an  open  sea,  meeting  only  loose  floating 
masses,  till,  on  the  27th,  he  was  stopped  by  the  main 
body  of  the  ice  lying  east  and  west.  He  then 
coasted  it  to  the  eastward,  pushing  the  ship,  by  a 
press  of  sail,  into  the  icy  bays  or  openings,  not- 
withstanding the  large  loose  pieces  by  which  these 
were  encumbered.  On  the  29th  July  the  expedi- 
tion reached  a  low  flat  island,  larger  than  Moffen, 
clothed  with  moss,  and  filled  with  deer  and  various 
animals.  They  found  on  the  shore  large  fir-trees, 
some  70  feet  long,  partly  torn  up  by  the  roots,  partly 
cut  down  by  the  axe,  and  fashioned  into  different 
shapes,  but  all  perfectly  entire.  Two  of  the  officers 
engaged  in  an  encounter  with  a  walrus,  tiom  which 


d 


RECENT  POLAR   VOYAGES. 


265 


,  and  kept 
openings, 
s  long,  af- 
3ved  to  be 
1  the  ships 
e  fragment 
ander  now 
m  easterly 
t,  and  drove 
resemble  a 
safer  to  sail 
red,  in  spite 
ffort  to  the 
iess.    Mak- 
came  to  an 
nspired  the 
neither  so 
lous  aspect, 
being  more 
I  colour  of 
to  give  to 
h.  Red  Hill, 
Moffen,  an 
lus  flocks  of 
ngerto  sail 
ose  floating 
by  the  main 
.     He  then 
B  ship,  by  a 
enings,  not- 
which  these 
the  expedi- 
lan  Moffen, 
and  various 
ge  fir-trees, 
roots,  partly 
ito  different 
f  the  officers 
,  iiom  which 


I 


they  came  off"  with  little  honour.  The  animal  be« 
ing  single,  was  wounded  in  the  first  instance ;  but  he 
immediately  plunged  into  the  deep,  and  came  up 
with  a  large  body  of  his  fellows,  who  made  a  united 
attack  upon  the  boat,  wrested  an  oar  from  one  of 
the  men,  and  had  nearly  overset  her,  when  another 
boat  from  the  Carcass,  under  the  command  of  Nelson, 
came  to  her  relief. 

From  the  point  which  the  discoverers  had  now 
reached,  they  saw  that  remote  peninsula  of  Spitz- 
bergen  which  the  Dutch  call  North-east-land,  and 
beyond  it  the  range  of  the  Seven  Islands.  The  ice 
however,  began  to  gather  round  them,  and  Captain 
Lutwidge,  on  mounting  the  top  of  a  high  island,  saw 
to  the  east  and  north-east  one  continued  frozen  sur- 
face, bounded  only  by  the  horizon.  The  ships  were  • 
now  becalmed  amid  a  beautiful  and  picturesque 
scene;  the  immense  field  of  ice  being  covered  with 
snow,  except  that  some  pools  of  water  were  coated 
with  a  thin  newly-formed  crust.  The  mariners 
attempted  in  vain  to  make  any  sensible  progress 
eastward ;  the  ice  closed  fast,  and  no  opening  was 
any  where  seen,  except  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
round  the  ships.  The  pilots,  who  had  never  before 
proceeded  so  far,  were  seriously  alarmed  lest  they 
should  be  beset.  Nor  were  their  fears  groundless, 
for  next  day  the  ships  were  frozen  in  faster  than  ever, 
not  having  room  to  turn,  while  the  passage  by  which 
they  had  entered  from  the  westward  had  entirely 
closed  up  behind  them.  The  adventurers  had  then 
no  room  for  farther  consideration,  but  how  to  ex- 
tricate themselves  and  return  home.  They  began 
sawing  through  deep  ice,  where  it  was  sometimes 
twelve  feet  thick ;  and  these  laborious  efforts  only 
enabled  them  to  move  three  hundred  yards  west- 
ward; while  the  mass  within  which  they  were 
enclosed  was  moving  eastward,  carrying  them  along 
with  it.  In  these  circumstances,  Captain  Phipps 
conceived  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  putting  out  the 

Z 


i 


hi 


I  f  'itJ 


,*-.»i 


m 


« .''^ 


266 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


boats  and  drag^ng  them  over  the  ice,  with  the  view 
of  reaching  the  Dutch  ships,  which  usually  began 
about  this  time  to  direct  their  course  homewards. 
On  the  7th  August  the  boats  were  got  forward  two 
miles ;  and  the  commander,  on  his  returning  to  the 
ships,  finding  the  ice  round  them  a  little  more  open, 
caused  all  sails  to  be  set,  by  which  means  they  were 
made  to  move  forward,  though  slowly,  and  still 
counteracted  by  the  drift-ice.  Being  favoured,  how- 
ever, by  moist  and  foggy  weather,  their  progress  be- 
came more  rapid.  They  came  up  with  the  boatSy 
and  took  them  in ;  and  on  the  10th,  having  a  brisk 
gale  from  the  north-east,  they  forced  the  ships  through 
all  obstacles,  though  not  without  sustaining  many 
heavy  strokes,  ana  breaking  the  shank  of  their  best 
bower-anchor ;  but  about  noon  they  found  themselves 
in  the  open  sea. 

Being  thus  delivered  from  their  greatest  fear,  they 
repaired  to  the  harbour  of  Smeerenberg  for  rest  and 
refreshment.  In  its  vicinity  they  admired  a  very 
lofty  iceberg,  which  presented  to  the  sea  a  perpendi- 
cular face  nearly  300  feet  high,  of  a  fine  light  green 
colour,  and  down  which  a  cascade  was  pouring. 
"  The  black  mountains,  white  snow,  and  beautiful 
colour  of  the  ice,  made  a  very  romantic  and  uncom- 
mon picture."  A  large  fragment,  which  had  fallen 
into  the  sea,  floated  out,  and  grounded  in  twenty, 
four  fatlioms :  it  stood  fifty  feet  high,  and  was  of  the 
same  beautiful  colour  as  the  iceberg. 

Captain  Phipps,  before  quitting  the  Polar  world, 
made  some  general  remarks  on  the  phenomena  which 
it  presents.  He  observed  always  a  great  swell  near 
the  edge  of  the  ice ;  but,  whenever  he  was  enclosed 
among  its  loose  frj^grments,  the  sea  was  perfectly 
smooth.  Accordi*^  o  Hudson,  the  green  waters 
were  free  from  ice,  .  .lich  was  found  only  in  the  blue ; 
but  no  ground  was  now  seen  for  this  distinction,  nor 
does  there  p^robably  exist  any.  Marten  described 
the  sun  at  midnight  as  lesembling  the  moon  in  ap- 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


267 


pearance;  but  our  observers  could  see  no  differ- 
ence, except  what  arose  from  its  being  lower  in  the 
heavens. 

On  the  19th  August,  Captain  Phipps  weighed  for 
England,  and  on  the  24th  was  somewhat  surprised  by 
the  sight  of  Jupiter,  no  star  having  for  a  long  time 
been  visible  amid  the  perpetual  light  of  the  northern 
sky.  After  passing  Shetland  on  the  7th  September, 
he  met  with  a  series  of  very  heavy  gales,  during 
which  he  lost  three  boats,  and  was  obliged  to  throw 
two  guns  overboard.  However,  having  reached  Or- 
fordness  on  the  24th,  he  proceeded  without  farther 
difficulty  to  the  Nore. 

The  result  of  this  voyage,  which  was  considered 
as  having  been  made  under  fair  and  even  favourable 
circumstances,  tended  altogether  to  chill  the  hopes 
of  penetrating  nearer  to  the  great  northern  bounda- 
ries of  the  earth.  Ii  seemed  that,  from  the  eightieth 
degree,  ice  in  one  unbroken  field  stretched  to  the 
Pole,  and  that  its  margin  presented  an  impenetrable 
wall  to  the  navigators  of  the  Greenland  Sea.  Dis- 
appointed hope  was  followed,  as  usual,  by  a  suspen- 
sion of  interest ;  and  the  northern  realms  had  sunk 
almost  into  oblivion,  till  the  revival  of  the  recent 
spirit  of  discovery.  Public  attention  was  first  recalled 
to  them  by  Mr.  Scoresby,  who,  bred  as  a  practical 
whale-fisher,  had  been  nursed,  as  it  were,  amid  the 
tempests  and  snows  of  the  north,  and  had  observed 
their  aspects  with  an  intelligent  and  scientific  eye, 
very  unusual  among  those  who  pursue  so  rough  and 
bustling  a  trade. 

In  1806  this  gentleman  made  the  nearest  approach 
to  the  Pole  that  has  ever  yet  been  fully  authenti- 
cated ;  for  the  statements  of  the  Dutch,  and  other 
navigators,  who  boast  of  having  gone  much  nearer, 
are  subject  to  great  doubt  as  to  their  observations  of 
latitude.  Mr.  Scoresby  was  then  acting  as  mate 
tinder  his  father,  who  commanded  a  Greenland  ship. 
They  at  first  proceeded  by  Jan  Mayen  into  the  west- 


r'i 
I;. 


^     » 


';^^ 


1     .1 


268 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


it'    .' 


»,*■ 


r  1:  'V 


ern  bight,  where  the  seal-fishery  is  carried  on ;  but 
afterward  they  changed  their  purpose,  and  came 
round  to  the  whale-bight.  They  found  the  v/aters 
encumbered,  even  in  a  low  latitude,  by  much  brokea 
ice,  through  which  they  made  their  way  not  without 
some  danger.  They  then  reached  an  open  sea,  so 
extensive  that  its  termination  could  not  be  disco- 
vered, and  it  was  believed  to  extend  four  or  five 
hundred  square  leagues.  On  proceeding  northward, 
however,  they  soon  arrived  at  a  very  close  conti- 
nuous field,  consisting  of  bay-ice  compacted  by  drift- 
ing fragments.  They  pushed  their  way  through  it 
by"  the  most  laborious  exertions,-— towing,  boring, 
warping,  and  mill-dolling — a  process  which  consists 
in  the  use  of  a  sort  of  battering-ram.  Having  thus 
opened  a  path  across  a  very  extended  barrier,  they 
came,  almost  beyond  hope,  to  an  open  sea,  which 
appeared  nearly  unbounded,  having  only  the  ice  on 
the  south  and  the  land  on  the  east.  Their  object 
was  to  catch  whales ;  and,  following  their  primary 
purpose,  they  chose  a  west-north-west  direction. 
Swiftly  crossing  the  short  meridians  of  this. parallel, 
they  soon  passed  from  the  10th  degree  of  east  to  the 
8th  degree  of  west  longitude.  Their  latitude  was 
79<*  35',  and  the  sea  was  still  open  on  every  side.  As 
whales,  however,  were  wanting,  they  changed  theii 
tack,  and  ran  east-north-east  about  300  miles,  till 
they  came  to  the  19th  degree  of  east  longitude ;  and 
here  they  found  themselves  in  lat.  81°  30',  being  a 
degree  higher  than  Phipps  had  reached,  and  only 
about  500  geographical  miles  from  the  Pole.  Had 
discovery  been  their  object,  they  had  now  a  brilliant 
opportunity;  and  neither  master  nor  mate  would 
have  been  insensible  to  the  glory  of  acquiring  en- 
larged knowledge  of  these  utmost  boundaries  of  the 
eartli.  But  they  had  been  fitted  out  by  a  mercantile 
body  to  bring  home  a  cargo  of  whale  oil,  and  this 
solid  purpose  could  not  be  postponed  to  the  most 
brilliant  speculations  of  science.    The  sea  lay  vast 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


269 


on;  but 
d  came 

v/atera 

brokea 
without 
L  sea,  so 
e  disco- 

or  five 
thward, 
e  conti- 
by  drift- 
rough  it 

boring, 
consists 
ng  thus 
er,  they 
I,  which 
e  ice  on 
r  object 
primary 
rection. 
parallel, 
Bt  to  the 
ide  was 
ide.  As 
:ed  theii 
iles,  till 
de;  and 
being  a 
nd  only 
3.  Had 
brilliant 
J  would 
ring  en- 
s  of  the 
ircantile 
md  this 
tie  most 
lay  vast 


and  open  before  them ;  but,  as  it  contained  no  whales, 
it  behooved  them  to  steer  their  course  backwards  to- 
wards Hakluyt's  Headland,  in  the  vicinity  of  which 
they  caught  twenty-four  of  those  valuable  animals, 
from  which  were  extracted  216  tons  of  oil. 

Mr.  Scoresby  indulged  his  curiosity  by  landing  on 
some  of  the  insular  tracts  which  fill  the  depths  of  the 
Polar  sea,  and  clambering  up  the  lofty  steeps  which 
usually  rise  from  their  shores.  Charles's  Island,  or 
Fair  Foreland,  at  the  north-west  of  Spitzbergen,  was 
the  first  Arctic  giound  on  which  he  landed ;  but  the 
fog  soon  spread  so  thick,  that  he  could  remark  little 
except  the  immense  multitude  of  birds  which  clustered 
around  the  rocks  and  precipices.  Afterward,  in  1818, 
he  landed  near  Mitre  Cape,  and  undertook  to  reach 
the  summit  of  that  singularly  insulated  cliff  of  which 
it  consists.  Much  of  the  ascent  was  over  fragments 
of  rock  so  loose,  that  the  foot  in  walking  slid  back 
every  step,  and  the  party  could  make  no  progress 
but  by  the  very  laborious  operations  of  running  and 
leaping.  The  continuance  of  frost  appears  to  cause 
this  extraordinary  decomposition  of  the  rocky  sub- 
stance. At  one  place  they  found  a  ridge  so  steep, 
that  Mr.  Scoresby  could  seat  himself  across  it  as  on 
the  back  of  a  horse.  They  reached  the  summit,  es- 
timated at  3000  feet  high,  about  midnight,  when  the 
«un  still  shone  bright  on  its  snow-capped  pinnacle, 
causing  such  a  rapid  dissolution,  that  streams  of 
water  were  flowing  around  them.  It  is  considered 
remarkable,  that,  in  this  frozen  region,  where,  even 
at  a  moderate  elevation,  the  mean  annual  temperature 
must  be  below  the  freezing  point,  the  highest  sum- 
mits should  put  off  their  winter-covering  of  snow, 
in  which  so  many  peaks,  both  of  the  temperate  and 
of  the  torrid  zones,  are  perpetually  enveloped.  It 
would  appear,  however,  that  during  the  short  interval 
of  continuous  summer-day,  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
beating  perpetually  on  the  mountain-tops,  which  are 
raised  above  the  fogs  that  surround  the  watery  surface, 

Z2 


p. 


1,  ( 


f 


Ml 


i  t 


■. 


1;  '■ 


2l70 


RECENT  tOLAR  VOYAGES. 


produce  a  degree  of  lieat  much  greater  than  corres- 
ponds with  the  latitude.  Hence  the  general  average 
of  the  year,  and  especially  the  part  which  composes 
the  long  Arctic  night,  must  be  marked  by  a  fearful 
depression. 

The  view  from  this  summit  is  described  by  Mr 
Scoresby  as  equally  grand,  extensive,  and  beautiful. 
On  the  east  side  were  two  finely-sheltered  bays; 
while  the  sea,  unniffled  by  a  single  breeze,  formed 
an  immense  expanse  to  the  west.  The  icebergs 
reared  their  fantastic  forms  almost  on  a  level  with 
the  summits  of  the  mountains,  whose  cavities  they 
filled,  while  the  sun  illumined,  but  could  not  dissolve 
them.  The  valleys  were  enamelled  with  beds  of 
snow  and  ice,  one  of  which  extended  beyond  reach 
of  the  eye.  In  the  interior,  mountains  rose  beyond 
mountains,  till  they  melted  into  distance.  The 
cloudless  canopy  above,  and  the  position  of  the  party 
themselves,  on  the  pinnacle  of  a  rock,  surrounded 
by  tremendous  precipices,  conspired  to  render  their 
Situation  equally  singular  and  sublime.  If  a  frag- 
ment was  detached,  either  spontaneously  or  by  design, 
it  bounded  from  rock  to  rock,  raising  smoke  at  every 
blow,  and  setting  numerous  other  fragments  in  mo- 
tion, till,  amid  showers  of  stones,  it  reached  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mountain.  The  descent  of  the  party  was 
more  difficult  and  perilous  than  the  ascent.  The 
stones  sunk  beneath  their  steps,  and  rolled  down  the 
mountain,  and  they  were  obliged  to  walk  abreast, 
otherwise  the  foremost  might  have  been  overwhelmed 
under  the  masses  which  those  behind  him  dislodged. 
Finally,  to  the  astonishment  and  alarm  of  the  sailors 
beneath,  Mr.  Scoresby  and  his  companions,  in  a  part 
of  their  descent,  slid  down  an  almost  perpendicular 
wall  of  ice,  and  arrived  in  safety  at  the  ships.  The 
beach  was  found  nearly  covered  with  the  nests  of 
terns,  ducks,  and  other  tenants  of  the  Arctic  air,  in 
some  of  which  there  were  young,  over  whom  the 
parents  kept  watch,  and,  by  loud  cries  and  vehement 


RECENT   POLAR  VOYAGES. 


271 


gestures,  sought  to  defend  them  against  the  gulls 
;and  other  predatory  tribes  hovering  around.  Several 
'Sailors  who  had  robbed  these  nests  were  followed  to 
;a  considerable  distance  with  loud  and  violent  screams. 
Mr.  Scoresby,  also,  in  1817,  landed  and  made  an 
excursion  on  Jan  Mayen's  land.  The  most  striking 
feature  was  the  mountain  Beerenberg,  which  rears 
its  head  6870  feet  above  the  sea ;  and,  being  seen  to 
the  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  leagues,  proves  a  con- 
spicuous landmark  to  the  mariner.  The  first  object 
which  attracted  the  eye  were  three  magnificent  ice- 
bergs, which  rose  to  a  very  great  height,  stretching 
from  the  base  of  Beerenberg  to  the  water's  edge. 
Their  usual  greenish-gray  colour,  diversified  by  snow- 
white  patches  resembling  foam,  and  with  black 
points  of  rock  jutting  out  from  the  surface,  gave  them 
exactly  the  appearance  of  immense  cascades,  which 
in  falling  had  been  fixed  by  the  power  of  frost.  A 
party  ascended  a  mountain  which  composed  only 
the  base  of  Beerenberg,  yet  was  itself  1500  feet  high. 
They  were  not  long  in  discovering  that  the  materials 
composing  this  eminence  were  entirely  volcanic. 
They  trod  only  upon  ashes,  slag,  baked  clay,  and 
scoriae ;  and,  whenever  these  subslances  rolled  under 
their  feet,  the  ground  beneath  made  a  sound  like  that 
of  empty  metallic  vessels  or  vaulted  caverns.  On 
the  summit  they  discovered  a  spacious  crater,  about 
600  feet  deep,  and  700  yards  in  diameter,  the  bottom 
of  which  was  filled  with  alluvial  matter,  ard  which, 
being  surrounded  by  rugged  walls  of  red  ci?,  y  half- 
baked,  had  the  appearance  of  a  spacious  casile.  A 
spring  of  water  penetrated  its  side  by  a  subterranean 
cavern,  and  disappeared  in  the  sand.  No  attempt 
was  made  to  ascend  Beerenberg,  which  towered  in 
awful  grandeur,  white  with  snow,  above  the  region 
of  the  clouds ;  but  at  its  feet  was  seen  another  crater 
surrounded  by  an  immense  accumulation  of  castel- 
lated lava.  A  large  mass  of  iron  was  found,  that 
had  been  smelted  by  the  interior  fires.    The  volcano 


'  ti 


K 


\ 


?ii 


272 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


'i 


ti 


it 


ill 


was  at  this  time  entirely  silent,  but  Mr.  Scoresby 
next  year  saw  smoke  rising  from  it  to  a  great  height ; 
and  the  same  phenomenon  had,  in  1818,  been  dis> 
cerned  by  Captain  Gilyott  of  the  Richard,  who  even 
remarked  a  shining  redness  like  the  embers  of  a 
large  fire. 

The  most  important  discoveries,  however,  effected 
by  Mr.  Scoresby,  took  place  in  1822,  when  he  sailed 
in  the  ship  Baffin,  of  321  tons  and  50  men,  for  the 
whale-fishery.  He  departed  from  Liverpool  on  the 
27th  March,  and  on  the  28th  passed  the  Mull  of  Can- 
tyre,  but  immediately  after  encountered  a  violent 
gale,  which,  blowing  on  this  dangerous  coast,  obliged 
him  to  take  shelter  for  ten  days  in  Loch  Ryaxi,  This 
interval  of  leisure  was  improved,  according  to  his 
laudable  custom,  for  purposes  of  scientific  experi- 
ment; and  in  this  instance  he  had  particularly  in 
view  the  improvement  of  the  chronometers  used  in 
navigation.  On  the  8th  April  he  again  set  sail; 
passed  on  the  lOth  the  dangerous  rocks  and  islands 
of  Skerivore,  west  of  Tiree;  and  on  the  11th,  at 
noon,  saw  the  island  of  St.  Kilda.  On  the  14th, 
when  only  in  lat.  64<>  30',  the  cry  was  raised 
that  ice  was  in  sight,  and  the  mariners  were  soon 
involved  in  its  streams,  accompanied  with  the  usual 
dense  and  deep  obscurity  of  Arctic  fogs.  On  the 
morrow  they  were  stopped  by  an  extensive  patch, 
which  they  spent  several  days  in  vainly  attempting 
to  double ;  but  at  length,  setting  all  sail  on  the  ship, 
they  made  their  way  through  it  in  the  course  of  an 
hour.  They  now  proceeded  northward  with  a  fair 
wind,  observing  the  brilliant  phenomenon  of  the 
Aurora  Borealis,  and  seeing  the  ocean  covered  with 
large  quantities  of  drift-wood.  On  the  25th  April, 
in  lat.  75",  they  found  themselves  in  the  region  of 
continued  day;  and  being  now  in  "a  fishing  latitude," 
took  out  their  boats,  coiled  their  lines,  and  prepared 
the  harpoons,  lances,  and  other  apparatus.  On  the 
27th  they  reached  the  80th  degree,  and  were  within 


f 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


273 


Boresby 
heigfht ; 
;en  dis- 
lio  even 
rs  of 


a 


effected 
e  sailed 
for  the 
1  on  the 
of  Can- 
violent 
,  obliged 
ti.  This 
T  to  his 
experi- 
ilarly  in 
used  in 
let  sail; 
islands 
11th,  at 
he  14th, 
i  raised 
3re  soon 
he  usual 
On  the 
e  patch, 
empting 
the  ship, 
■se  of  an 
;h  a  fair 
L  of  the 
red  with 
;h  April, 
egion  of 
attitude," 
prepared 
On  the 
e  within 


ten  miles  of  Hakluy  t's  Headland  without  having  yet 
felt  any  frost.  Continuing  to  approach  the  Pole, 
Mr.  Scoresby  reached,  on  the  28th,  the  main  northern 
ice  at  the  same  point  where  it  had  been  found  by- 
Lord  Mulgrave.  He  proposed  to  run  along  it  to  the 
eastward,  in  hopes  of  reaching  a  good  fishing  station, 
but  the  state  of  the  wind  compelled  him  to  turn  in 
the  opposite  direction.  On  the  6th  May  the  first 
whale  was  taken.  On  the  9th  a  heavy  gale  from  the 
north-east  produced  symptoms  of  cold,  similar  to 
those  felt  in  the  extremity  of  an  Arctic  winter ;  the 
skin  adhering  to  metallic  substances;  water  spilt 
within  three  feet  of  the  cabin  fire  converted  into  ice ; 
even  a  mug  of  good  beer  nearly  frozen  at  the  very 
foot  of  the  stove.  Mr.  Scoresby 's  situation  was 
painful;  the  sea  was  covered  with  such  a  dense 
stratum  of  frost-rime,  reaching  to  the  height  of  50 
feet,  that  nothing  could  be  seen  from  the  deck :  and 
he  could  not  guide  the  ship  without  mounting  the 
topmast,  where  the  view  was  clear,  but  the  tempera- 
ture was  from  3  to  8  degrees  below  zero,  which  the 
gale  rendered  most  intensely  piercing.  Soon  after, 
being  involved  in  floating  ice,  he  had  a  most  difficult 
course  to  steer,  though  he  observes  that,  to  a  true 
navigator,  the  high  exertion  of  nautical  skill  required 
to  perform  the  continual  evolutions  and  changes  of 
course  necessary  amid  floating  ice,  is  productive  of 
peculiar  enjoyment ;  and  accordingly  he  extricated 
himself  without  any  material  damage. 

Mr.  Scoresby,  finding  no  whales  in  his  present 
station,  determined  upon  a  change.  For  some  time 
past,  these  high  latitudes,  probably  in  consequence 
of  having  been  so  longjished,  had  become  nearly 
unproductive,  and  the  only  good  cargoes  were  ob- 
tained by  penetrating  through  the  ice  to  the  eastern 
shores  of  Greenland.  A  trip  in  this  quarter  coin- 
cided with  another  object  in  which  Mr.  Scoresby 
felt  peculiar  interest.  The  whole  range  of  this  coast 
was  absolutely  unknown,  unless  at  a  few  points, 


^   i 


Ilk 


^.lii 


»        4 


i 


274 


RECENT   POLAR    VOYAGES. 


which  the  Dutch  had  approached  and  named ;  and 
it  formed  a  continuous  line  with  that  on  which  the 
colonies  of  Old  Greenland,  the  subject  of  much  in- 
terest and  controversy,  were  supposed  to  have  been 
situated. 

In  this  course  Mr.  Scoresby  was  amused  by  striking^ 
instances  of  the  refractive  power  of  the  Polar 
atmosphere,  when  acting  upon  ice  and  other  objects 
discerned  through  its  medium.  The  rugged  surface 
assumed  the  forms  of  castles,  obelisks,  and  spires, 
which  here  and  there  were  sometimes  so  linked 
together,  as  to  present  the  semblance  of  an  extensive 
and  crowded  city.  At  other  times  it  resembled  a 
forest  of  naked  trees ;  and  fancy  scarcely  required 
an  effort  to  identify  its  varieties  with  the  productions 
of  human  art ; — sculptured  colossal  forms,  porticoes 
of  rich  and  regular  architecture, — even  with  the  shapes 
of  lions,  bears,  horses,  and  other  animals.  Ships 
were  seen  inverted,  and  suspended  high  in  the  air, 
and  their  hulls  often  so  magnified  as  to  resemble 
huge  edifices.  Objects  really  beneath  the  horizon 
were  raised  into  view  in  a  most  extraordinary  man- 
ner. It  seems  positively  ascertained,  that  points  in 
the  coast  of  Greenland,  not  above  3000  or  4000  feet 
high,  were  seen  at  the  distance  of  160  miles.  The 
extensive  evaporation  of  the  melting  ices,  with  the 
unequal  condensation  produced  by  streams  of  cold 
air,  are  considered  by  Mr.  Scoresby  as  the  chief 
sources  of  this  extraordinary  refraction. 

It  was  on  the  8th  of  June  that,  in  74^  6'  north  la- 
titude, a  vast  range  of  land  was  discovered,  extend- 
ing from  north  to  south,  about  ninety  miles,  and  of 
which  the  most  northerly  point  was  concluded  to  be 
that  named  on  the  charts  Gale  Hamkes*  Land, while 
the  most  southerly  appeared  to  be  Hudson's  Hold- 
with-Hope.  Mr.  Scoresby's  ambition,  however,  to 
mount  some  of  its  bold  crags,  which  no  European 
foot  had  ever  trod,  was  defeated  by  the  interposition 
of  an  impassable  barrier  of  ice ;  and  a  similar  one 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


275 


1^^ 


having  closed  in  behind  him,  he  was  obliged  to  sail 
back  and  forward  for  several  days  through  a  nanow 
channel.  During  this  interval  he  had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  taking  the  bearings  and  directions  of  this 
great  line  of  coast.  The  latitude,  as  given  in  the 
maps,  was  tolerably  correct,  and  was  indeed  his  only 
guide  in  tracing  the  positions;  for  the  longitude,  after 
the  most  careful  observation,  was  found  to  differ 
seven  degrees  from  the  best  charts,  and  ten  degrees 
from  those  usually  supplied  to  the  whale-fisliers. 
This  coast  was  generally  mountainous,  rugged,  and 
barren,  bearing  much  resemblance  to  that  of  Spitz- 
bergen,  though  less  covered  with  snow.  It  could  not 
be  fully  ascertained  whether  some  low  ground  might 
not  be  interposed  between  the  sea  and  the  mountains ; 
but  their  aspect,  and  the  general  analogy  of  the  Arc- 
tic shores,  suggested  the  idea  that  these  mighty  cliffs 
dipped  perpendicularly  into  the  waves. 

Mr.  Scoresby  followed  the  usual  system  of  naming 
the  prominent  objects,  either  after  persons  eminent 
in  science  or  after  his  private  friends.  The  two  prin- 
cipal bays  or  inlets  were  designated  from  Captain 
Kater  and  Sir  Walter  Scott ;  while  two  spacious  fore- 
lands or  projecting  peninsulas,  the  former  supposed 
to  be  an  island,  were  assigned  to  Dr.  WoUaston  and 
Sir  Everard  Home.  Other  bays  and  capes  were  be- 
stowed upon  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  Dr.  Brinkley, 
Colonel  Beaufoy,  Dr.  Holland,  Mr.  Herschel,  and 
some  of  the  author's  personal  friends.  Afterward, 
obtaining  the  view  of  some  smaller  bays  to  the  south, 
he  was  enabled  thus  to  compliment  Sir  George  Mac- 
kenzie, Sir  Charles  Giesecke,  Baron  Humboldt,  M. 
de  la  Place,  and  M.  Freycinet. 

Mr.  Scoresby  now  made  a  movement  eastward 
in  search  of  whales,  of  which  he  found  no  traces  in 
the  vicinity  of  land.  This  change  of  purpose  was 
attended  with  a  very  distressing  circumstance.  Wil- 
liam Carr,  one  of  his  most  expert  harpooners,  and  a 
finef  active  fellow,  had  struck  a  whale,  which  flew  off 


liM 


ui:iii.;v' 


.1 


276 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


with  such  rapidity,  that  the  line  was  jerked  out  of 
its  place,  and  threatened  the  sinking  of  the  boatr 
Having  snatched  the  rope  to  replace  it  in  the  pioper 
position,  he  was  caught  by  a  sudden  turn,  instantly 
dragged  overboard  and  plunged  under  water  to  rise- 
no  more.  The  boat  having  at  once  righted  itself,  the 
sailors  looked  round  and  asked,  "  Where  is  Carrl"" 
One  man  only  had  seen  him  disappear,  but  so  instan- 
taneously, that  he  had  merely  missed  the  object^ 
without  being  able  to  say  how.  The  distress  and 
agitation  of  the  survivors  afforded  the  stricken  whale- 
a  respite,  of  which  he  availed  himself  to  effect  his 
escape.  Mr.  Scoresby,  deeply  distressed,  took  the 
opportunity  next  Lord's  day  of  calling  the  attention 
of  his  crew  to  their  own  most  importanT,  interests^ 
and  to  their  preparation  for  such  a  catastrophe  as 
had  befallen  their  comrade;  on  which  occasion  all 
the  sailors  seemed  much  affected. 

About  a  month  was  passed  in  searcliing  for  whales 
at  a  little  distance  from  the  shore,  and  several  of 
these  animals,  as  well  as  narwals,  were  taken ;  but 
as  they  ceased  to  appear,  it  was  resolved  again  to 
stand  in  for  the  land.  On  the  19th  July  the  navi- 
gators came  in  view  of  a  range  of  coast,  of  a  very 
bold  and  peculiar  character,  extending  about  forty 
miles.  It  presented  a  mountain-chain  from  three  to 
four  thousand  feet  high,  rising  at  once  from  the 
beach  in  precipitous  cliffs,  which  terminated  in  num- 
berless peaks,  cones,  and  pyramids,  with  sharp  and 
rugged  rocks  everywhere  jutting  out  from  their  sides. 
From  one  of  the  mountains  rose  six  or  seven  tall 
parallel  chimneys,  above  each  other;  one  of  which, 
crowned  with  two  vertical  towers,  was  called  Church 
Mount.  This  coast  received  the  name  of  Liverpool ; 
while  to  the  mountains  was  given  that  of  Roscoe. 
The  range  of  shore  terminated  at  Cape  Hodgson ; 
beyond  which,  however,  steering  south-west,  they 
descried  three  other  promontories,  to  which  were 
successively  given  the  names  of  Cape  Lister,  Cape 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


277 


ed  out  of 
the  boatr 
the  proper 
,  mstantly 
ter  to  rise 
1  itself,  the 
is  Carrl"^ 
so  instan- 
he  objects 
istress  and 
;ken  whale 
effect  his 
i,  took  the 
e  attention 
■;  interests, 
istrophe  as 
occasion  all 

for  whales 
several  of 
taken;  but 
d  again  to 
y  the  navi- 
;,  of  a  very 
ibout  forty 
)in  three  to 

from  the 
ed  in  num- 

sharp  and 
their  sides. 

seven  tall 

of  which, 
led  Church 

Liverpool ; 
of  Roscoe. 

Hodgson ; 
west,  they 

hich  were 

ter.  Cape 


Swainson,  and  Cape  Tobin.  Here  Mr.  Scoresby 
took,  for  the  first  time,  the  opportunity  of  landing, 
when  he  found  the  beach  much  lower  than  that  farther 
to  the  north,  and  consisting  in  a  great  measure  of 
loose  stony  hills.  After  some  examination,  he  came, 
near  Cape  Swainson,  to  an  enclosure  formed  by  pa- 
rallel walls,  similai  to  those  which  the  Esquimaux 
construct  for  their  summer  huts,  and  within  which 
were  hollow  structures  like  bee-hives,  such  as  they 
use  for  stores.  A  narrow  scrutiny  showed  remains 
of  fuel,  charred  drift-wood,  half-burned  moss  and 
ashes ;  which  last  was  considered  as  indicating  the 
place  to  have  been  occupied  at  no  distant  period. 
There  were  also  found  instruments  of  wood  and 
bone,  one  of  them  tipped  with  iron. 

Resuming  their  course  at  sea,  and  still  holding 
south-westward,  there  now  appeared  a  spacious  inlet, 
to  which,  in  looking  upwards,  no  termination  could 
b8  seen.  Mr.  Scoresby,  while  penetrating  this  inlet, 
discovered  another  sound  branching  to  the  northward, 
behind  the  Liverpool  coast,  and  supposed  to  form  it 
into  an  island.  The  opposite  shore  of  this  v^ntrance 
was  named  Jameson^s  Land,  from  the  eminent  pro* 
fessor  of  natural  history  at  Edinburgh.  Beyond 
Cape  Hooker,  the  southern  point  of  Jameson's  Land, 
another  large  inlet  stretched  towards  the  north,  to 
wliich  was  given  the  name  of  Captain  Basil  Hall.  It 
had  every  appearance  of  converting  Jameson's  Land 
also  into  ar  island.  The  coast  to  the  westward  of 
this  last  approach  received  the  name  of  Milne's  Land. 
Between  Cape  Leslie,  the  northern  point  of  Milne's 
Land,  and  Cape  Stevenson,  oh  the  opposite  shore, 
the  original  opening  continued  to  stretch  into  the 
interior,  without  any  appearance  of  a  termination. 
Combining  this  observation  with  the  position  of 
Jacob's  Bight  in  the  same  latitude  on  the  western 
coast,  which  Sir  Charles  Giesecke  traced  to  the 
height  of  160  miles,  where  it  opened  into  a  sort  of 
inland  sea,  there  appeared  a  strong  presumption,  that^ 

Aa 


4 


]] 

I  \ 


m-,: 


^*> 


I  1 


278 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


i  ^ 


ti  u 


instead  of  the  continuous  mass  of  land  which  our 
maps  represent,  Greenland  composes  only  an  im- 
mense archipelago  of  islands.  To  this  great  inlet, 
the  entrance  of  which  was  bounded  by  Cape  Tobin 
on  the  north,  and  Cape  Brewster  on  the  south,  Mr. 
Scoresby  gave  the  name  of  his  father,  though  poste- 
rity will  probably  be  apt  to  associate  with  himself 
the  name  of  "  Scoresby's  Sound." 

These  coasts,  especially  that  of  Jameson's  Land, 
were  found  richer  in  plants  and  verdure  than  any 
others  seen  by  our  navigator  within  the  Arctic  circle, 
and  almost  meriting  the  appellation  of  Greenland. 
The  grass  rose  in  one  place  to  a  foot  in  height,  and 
there  were  meadows  of  several  acres  that  appeared 
nearly  equal  to  any  in  England.  Nowhere  could  a 
human  being  be  discovered;  but  everywhere  there 
were  traces  of  recent  and  even  frequent  inhabitation. 
At  the  foot  of  a  range  of  cliffs,  named  after  Mr. 
Neill,  secretary  to  the  Wernerian  Society,  were 
several  hamlets  of  some  extent.  The  huts  appear 
to  have  been  winter-abodes,  not  constructed  of  snow 
slabs  like  those  of  the  Esquimaux  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
but  resembling  those  of  the  Greenlanders,  dug  deep 
in  the  ground,  entered  by  a  long  winding  passage  or 
funnel,  and  roofed  with  a  wooden  frame  overlaid 
with  moss  and  earth.  The  mansion  had  thus  the 
appearance  of  a  slight  hillock,  and  seemed  quite  an 
underground  habitation.  Near  the  hamlets  were 
excavations  in  the  earth,  serving  as  graves,  where 
implements  of  hunting,  found  along  with  the  bones 
of  the  deceased,  proved  the  prevalence  here  of  the 
general  belief  of  savage  nature,  that  the  employments 
of  man  in  the  future  Hfe  will  exactly  resemble  those 
of  the  present.  There  was  one  wooden  coffin,  which 
the  author  was  willing  to  believe  might  mark  a  rem- 
nant of  European  colonization.  It  was  thought  sin- 
gular, that  the  dwellers  on  this  coast  should  have 
been  tecently  so  numerous,  and  jret  not  one  of  them 
left ;  but  probably  these  were  wmter-quarters,  while 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


279 


hich  our 
y  an  im- 
eat  inlet, 
ipe  Tobin 
outh,  Mr. 
Lgh  poste- 
h  himself 

,n's  Land, 
than  any 
itic  circle, 
Jreenland. 
leight,  and 
t  appeared 
ire  could  a 
here  there 
habitation, 
after  Mr. 
iety,  were 
uts  appear 
ed  of  snow 
Ison's  Bay, 
i,  dug  deep 
passage  or 
^e  overlaid 
Id  thus  the 
id  quite  an 
.ilets  were 
[ves,  where 
L  the  bones 
lere  of  the 
jployments 
Imble  those 
^ffin,  which 
lark  a  rem- 
lought  sin- 
lould  have 
l\e  of  them 
•ters,  while 


during  the  summer  the  natives  had  repaired  into  the 
interior,  where  they  might  find  those  land-animals 
which  letreat  to  the  southward  during  the  more 
rigorous  season.  v  .• 

On  emerging  from  this  large  sound  and  proceeding 
southward,  Mr.  Scoresby  discovered  another  conti- 
nuous range  of  coast,  which  afforded  to  him  a  bay 
to  be  named  after  Mr.  Wallace,  and  three  capes  after 
Messrs.  Russell,  Pillans,  and  Graham,  eminent  pro- 
fessors in  the  university  of  Edinburgh;  also  an 
island  named  after  Captain  Manby;  another  after 
Dr.  Henry,  and  a  cape  after  Mr.  Dalton,  two  distin- 
guished chemists  at  Manchester;  also  another  cape 
after  Dr.  John  Barclay  of  Edinburgh. 

Disappointed  as  to  any  appearance  of  whales  on 
this  roast,  Mr.  Scoresby  again  steered  out  to  sea  and 
to  the  northward.  Icebergs  surrounded  him,  amount- 
ing at  one  place  to  the  number  of  five  hundred. 
This  course  brought  him  in  a  few  days  within  sight 
of  lands  stretching  more  northerljrthan  those  recently 
surveyed,  and  connecting  them  with  the  others  which 
he  had  first  discovered.  There  appeared  two  large 
territories,  seemingly  insular,  to  which  were  given 
the  names  of  Canning  and  Traill.  Between  them 
was  a  most  spacious  inlet,  honoured  with  the  name 
of  Sir  Humphrey  Davy.  On  penetrating  this  open- 
ing there  arose  several  points  of  land,  probably 
islands,  which  afforded  a  range  of  mountains,  made 
commemorative  of  Werner,  the  celebrated  geologist ; 
a  smaller  ridge  was  assigned  to  Dr.  Fleming;  after 
which  were  appropriated  Capes  Biot,  Buache,  Carne- 
gie. He  landed  on  Traill  Island,  and  with  incredible 
toil  clambered  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  where  he  hoped 
to  have  found  a  small  plain  containing  a  few  speci- 
mens of  Arctic  vegetation;  but  this  summit  was 
steeper  than  the  most  narrowly-pitched  roof  of  a 
house,  and,  had  not  the  opposite  side  been  a  little 
smoother,  he  would  have  found  much  difficulty  in 
sliding  down.    Beyond  Traill  Island,  and  separated 


!  '! 


'g    « 


'/ 

1 

■'" 

f 

^  1 

i  f 

(' 

i  ■ 

■    i 

280 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


from  it  by  a  considerable  inlet  named  after  Lord 
Mountnorris,  was  another  coast ;  the  pointed  extre- 
mity of  which  received  the  name  of  Captain  Parry. 
This  promontory  being  at  no  great  distance  from 
Cape  Freycinet,  which  had  been  seen  in  the  first  sur- 
vey, there  was  thus  completed  the  observation  of  a 
range  of  four  hundred  miles  of  coast,  formerly  known 
only  by  the  most  imperfect  rumours  and  notices,  and 
which  might  therefore  be  strictly  considered  as  a  new 
discovery. 

Mr.  Scoresby  afterward  approached  more  closely 
to  Canning  Island,  and  penetrated  a  sound  between 
it  and  the  main,  connected  apparently  with  Hurry's 
Inlet,  and  where  he  gave  names  to  Capes  Allan, 
Krusenstem,  and  Buch. 

Our  navigator  would  have  been  happy  to  examine 
more  of  the  Greenland  coast,  having  on  one  occasion 
had  a  fair  prospect  of  being  able  to  run  southward 
to  Cape  Farewell ;  but  the  ship  was  not  his  own,  and 
his  destination  being  to  catch  whales,  compelled  him 
to  turn  in  another  direction.  He  had  met  hitherto 
with  much  disappointment  in  this  pursuit ;  and,  the 
season  being  far  advanced,  was  apprehensive  of 
being  obliged  to  return  with  a  deficient  cargo.  But 
on  the  15th  of  August  numerous  whales  appeared 
round  the  ship :  of  these  five  were  struck  and  three 
taken,  which  at  once  rendered  the  sliip  full-fished^ 
and  placed  him  among  the  successful  adventurers 
of  the  year.  He  could  return,  therefore,  with 
satisfactory  feelings ;  and  the  pleasure  of  the  voyage 
homeward  was  only  alloyed  by  the  occurrence  of 
a  violent  storm  off  Lewis,  in  which  Sam  Chambers, 
one  of  the  most  esteemed  of  his  sailors,  was  washed 
overboard. 

To  these  discoveries  of  Mr.  Scoresby  some  addi- 
tions were  made  next  year  by  Captain  Clavering, 
who  was  employed  by  the  Admiralty  to  convey  Cap- 
tain Sabine  to  different  stations  in  the  Arctic  sea,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  observations  on  the  compara- 


ter  Lord 
;d  extre- 
in  Parry, 
ice  from 
first  sur- 
tion  of  a 
[y  known 
tices,  and 
I  as  a  new 

re  closely 
I  between 
h  Hurry's 
»es  Allan, 

)  examine 
;  occasion 
southward 
s  own,  and 
pelled  him 
et  hitherto 
;  and,  the 
ensive  of 
irgo.    But 

appeared 

and  three 
full-fished, 
dventurers 
fore,  with 

he  voyage 
urrence  of 
Chambers, 

as  washed 

ome  addi- 
Clavering, 
>nvey  Cap- 
tic  sea,  for 
compara- 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


281 


live  length  of  the  pendulum  rs  affected  by  the  prin- 
ciple of  attraction. 

Captain  Clavering  sailed  on  the  .Sd  May  (1823), 
and  on  the  2d  June  arrived  at  Hammerfest,  wheie  he 
landed  Captain  Sabine  with  the  tents  and  instru- 
ments.   The  observations  being  comp  eted,  he  sailed 
on  the  23d,  reached  the  northern  coast  of  Spitzber- 
gen,  and  fixed  on  a  small  island  between  Vogel  Sang 
and  Cloven  Cliff  for  farther  scientific  operations. 
While  Captain  Sabine  was  employed  upon  the  island, 
he  endeavoured  to  push  into  a  more  northern  lati- 
tude ;  but  after  great  exertion,  he  could  not  reach 
beyond  80°  20'.    Accompanied  by  the  former,  whom 
he  had  now  rejoined,  and  whose  observations  were 
completed,  he  left  this  coast  on  the  22d  July,  and 
steered  for  the  eastern  shores  of  Greenland,  of  which 
he  came  in  view  on  the  5th  August.    The  scene  ap- 
peared the  most  desolate  he  had  ever  beheld.     The 
mountains  rose  to  the  height  of  several  thousand 
feet,  without  a  vestige  of  vegetation,  or  the  appear- 
ance of  any  living  creature  on  the  earth  or  in  the 
air.    Even  the  dreary  waste  of  Spitzbergen  appeared 
a  paradise  to  this.    He  landed  Captain  Sabine  and 
the  scientific  apparatus  on  two  islands  detached 
from  the  eastern  shore  of  the  continent,  which  he 
called  the  Pendulum  Islands,  and  of  which  the  out- 
ermost point  is  marked  by  a  bold  headland,  rising  to 
the  height  of  3000  feet. 

While  Captain  Sabine  was  employed  in  his  course 
of  observations.  Captain  Clavering  surveyed  a  part 
of  the  coast  which  lay  to  the  northward,  being  the 
first  which  Mr.  Scoresby  saw.  It  was  at  some  dis- 
tance, with  an  icy  barrier  interposed ;  but  was  found 
indented  with  deep  and  spacious  bays,  suspected 
even  to  penetrate  so  far  as  to  convert  all  this  range 
of  coast  into  a  cluster  of  large  islands.  The  inlet, 
which  the  former  navigator  had  assigned  to  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  was  believed  by  Clavering  to  be 
that  discovered  by  the  Dutch  mariner  Gale  Hamkes ; 

Aa3 


m 


4 1.  J 


'i^\' 


II 


rr 


282 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


(  • 


li 


but  we  have  not  ventured  to  remove  this  last  from 
the  more  northerly  position  fixed  by  Mr.  Scoresby. 
Other  openings  which  occurred  in  proceeding  to- 
wards the  north  were  named,  by  the  Captain,  Fos- 
ter's Bay,  Ardincaple,  and  Roseneath  Inlets;  and 
he  saw  bold  and  high  land  still  stretching  in  this  di- 
rection as  far  as  the  seventy-sixth  degree  of  latitude. 
In  regard  to  the  natives,  Captain  Clavering  was 
more  fortunate  than  his  predecessor,  who  saw  only 
their  deserted  habitations.  On  landing  at  a  point 
on  the  southern  coast  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Inlet, 
he  received  intelligence  of  Esquimaux  having  been 
seen  at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  and  hastened  thither 
with  one  of  his  officers.  The  natives  on  seeing 
them  immediately  ran  to  the  top  of  some  rocks ; 
but  the  English  advanced,  made  friendly  signs,  depo- 
sited a  mirror  and  a  pair  of  worsted  mittens  at  the 
foot  of  the  precipice,  and  then  retired.  The  Esqui- 
maux came  down,  took  these  articles,  and  carried 
them  away  to  the  place  of  their  retreat ;  but  they 
soon  allowed  the  strangers  to  approach  and  accost 
them,  though  their  hands  when  shaken  were  found 
to  tremble  violently.  By  degrees  confidence  was  es- 
tablished, and  they  followed  the  English  to  their 
own  tent,  five  feet  high  and  twelve  in  circumference, 
composed  of  wood  and  whalebone.  Their  aspect 
and  conformations,  their  boats  and  implements,  ex- 
actly corresponded  to  those  observed  by  Captains 
Parry  and  Lyon  in  Hudson's  Bay.  A  child,  after 
being  diligently  cleared  of  its  thick  coating  of  dirt 
and  oil,  was  found  to  have  a  tawny  copper-coloured 
skin.  The  natives  were  astonished  and  alarmed  be- 
yond measure  by  the  effect  of  firearms.  A  seal 
being  shot,  one  of  them  was  sent  to  fetch  it.  He 
examined  it  all  over  till  he  found  the  hole  made  by 
the  ball,  when,  thrusting  his  finger  into  it,  he  set  up 
a  shout  of  astonishment,  dancing  and  capering  in 
the  most  extravagant  manner.  Another  was  pre^ 
vailed  upon  to  fire  a  pistol ;  but  instantly  on  hearing 
the  report,  started  and  ran  back  into  the  tent. 


last  from 
Scoresby. 
eeding  to- 
)tain,  Fos- 
ilets;  and 
^  in  this  di- 
3f  latitude. 
rering  was 
)  saw  only 
at  a  point 
ott's  Inlet, 
iving  been 
ned  thither 
on  seeing 
»me  rocks; 
signs,  depo- 
tens  at  the 
The  Esqui- 
and  carried 
t ;  but  they 
and  accost 
ere  found 
nee  was  es- 
sh  to  their 
umference, 
eir  aspect 
ments,  ex- 
Captains 
[child,  after 
ing  of  dirt 
r-coloured 
llarmed  be- 
A  seal 
ch  it.    He 
e  made  by 
,  he  set  up 
apering  in 
was  pre- 
n  hearing 
Itent. 


I' 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


283 


The  observations  were  not  completed  till  the  be- 
!ginning  of  September,  when  the  season  was  too  late 
to  allow  Captain  Clavering  to  gratify  his  wish  of 
making  a  run  to  the  northward.  Nor  did  he  extri- 
cate himself  from  the  ice  without  some  severe 
shocks;  yet,  after  spending  six  weeks  at  Dron- 
theim,  he  entered  the  Thames  in  the  middle  of  De- 
cember. 

We  have  departed  somewhat  from  the  regular 
order  of  time,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  in  a  con- 
nected view  the  observations  and  discoveries  of  Mr. 
Scoresby,  and  the  additions  to  them  by  Captain  Cla- 
vering. Meantime,  however,  another  grand  attempt 
had  been  made  to  explore  the  depths  of  the  Polar 
sea.  Combined  with  Captain  Ross's  mission  in 
search  of  the  north-west  passage,  the  Dorothea  and 
Trent  were  placed  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Buchan,  with  the  view  of  pushing  direct  to  the  Pole, 
and  endeavouring  not  only  to  reach  that  grand  boun- 
dary, but  to  pass  across  it  to  India, — a  voyage  which, 
from  the  relative  position  of  these  two  parts  of  the 
globe,  would  have  been  much  shorter  by  this  route 
than  by  any  other.  It  was  contended  by  the  sup- 
porters of  this  undertaking,  that  the  failures  of  Hud- 
son, Fotherby,  and  Phipps  had  occurred  in  conse- 
quence of  their  being  entangled  in  the  winding  shores 
and  bays  of  the  northern  coast  of  Spitzbergen;  that 
the  production  of  ice  took  place  chiefly  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  land :  and  that,  by  keeping  decidedly  in 
the  midst  of  the  ocean-channel,  navigators  would, 
instead  of  a  boundless  and  unbroken  field,  And  an 
open  and  navigable  sea. 

Captain  Buchan  having  set  out  early  in  the  season 
of  1818,  came  on  the  27th  May  in  view  of  Cherie 
Island.  Without  pausing  there,  he  stretched  along 
the  western  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  to  the  eightietli 
degree  of  north  latitude,  where  he  encountered  a  se- 
vere storm,  which  separated  his  vessels  for  a  time, 
and  obhged  them  to  seek  slielter  in  Magdalena  Bay. 


•  ■'  ::■ 


\\U 


M 


«  !, 


284 


RECENT    POLAR  VOYAGES. 


H 


'-.  i 


i 


•I  I 


%  t 


'•'  life 


On  the  10th  June  he  met  several  Greenland  ships, 
and  was  informed  by  the  masters,  that  in  the  great 
sea  to  the  westward,  to  which  he  had  looked  with 
the  greatest  hope,  the  ice  was  completely  impene- 
trable. He  determined,  therefore,  to  turn  Hakluyt's 
Headland,  and  proceed  north-eastward  in  the  track 
ultimately  followed  by  Lord  Mulgrave.  On  his  way 
he  was  soon  completely  beset,  being  hemmed  in  by 
fields  of  ice  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  circumference, 
amid  which  icebergs  rose  in  the  rudest  and  most  fan- 
tastic forms,  appearing  like  specks  in  a  boundless 
plain  of  alabaster.  On  the  26th  June  the  navigatoi-s 
reached  Fair  Haven,  situated  between  Vogel  Sang 
and  Cloven  Cliff.  Being  detained  here  for  some 
time,  they  found  numerous  herds  of  the  walrus  and 
the  deer,  and  killed,  after  hard  combats,  several  of 
the  former,  one  weighing  a  ton ;  while  of  the  latter 
they  despatched  with  ease  from  forty-five  to  fifty, 
the  average  weight  of  which  was  120lbs.  Being  at 
length  unable  to  move  forward,  they  reached  the  la- 
titude of  80°  32',  where  they  were  beset  for  three 
weeks.  On  the  29th  July,  the  Dorothea  was  again 
brought  into  open  water ;  but  on  the  30th  she  was 
exposed  to  a  tremendous  gale,  which  blew  her 
upon  the  main  body  of  the  ice,  with  a  force  which 
she  was  unable  to  resist.  In  this  awful  situation, 
the  crew,  having  no  time  to  deliberate,  determined  to 
turn  the  helm  so  that  the  wind  might  drive  the  ship's 
head  into  the  ice,  where,  it  was  possible,  they  might 
find  a  secure  lodgement  even  amid  this  fearful  tem- 
pest. The  helm  was  so  placed ;  and  a  solemn  awe 
impressed  the  mariners  during  the  few  moments 
which  were  to  decide,  whether  the  Dorothea  was  to 
be  safely  moored,  or  to  be  dashed  to  pieces.  She 
struck  with  a  terrible  shock,  which  was  repeated 
frequently  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour.  By  that 
time  she  had  forced  her  way  more  than  twice  her 
own  length  into  the  body  of  the  ice,  where  she 
remained  immoveably  fixed.     By-and-by  the  gald 


HECENT   POLAR  VOYAGES. 


289 


i 


moderated,  and  she  was  again  brought  into  an 
open  sea ;  but  she  had  been  so  shattered,  and  the 
water  entered  by  such  numerous  leaks,  that  scarcely 
any  effort  could  preserve  her  from  sinking.  Next 
morning,  however,  being  fine,  the  crew  with  much 
difficulty  worked  her  round  to  the  harbour  of  Smee- 
renberg.  There  she  was  so  far  refitted  as  to  be  able, 
in  the  beginning  of  September,  to  take  the  sea,  and 
on  the  10th  October  came  in  view  of  the  coast  of 
England,  near  Flamborough  Head. 

No  farther  attempt  was  made  to  reach  the  Pole 
in  ships ;  but,  after  a  certain  interval,  a  plan  was  de- 
vised to  push  towards  that  grand  boundary  in  vehicles 
wafted  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the  ocean.  It  was 
Mr.  Scoresby  by  whom  this  scheme  was  first  sug- 
gested. In  a  memoir  read  to  the  Wernerian  Society, 
he  endeavoured  to  prove  that  such  a  journey  was 
neither  so  visionary  nor  so  very  perilous  as  it  might 
appear  to  those  who  were  unacquainted  with  the 
Arctic  regions.  The  Polar  Sea  in  some  meridians 
would,  he  doubted  not,  present  one  continued  sheet 
of  ice ;  the  inequalities  of  which,  if  tolerably  smooth, 
would  oppose  no  insurmountable  barrier.  Intervals 
of  open  water  would  be  more  troublesome ;  yet  tne 
vehicle,  being  made  capable  of  serving  as  a  boat, 
might  either  sail  across,  or  make  a  circuit  round 
them.  This  conveyance,  he  remarked,  ought  to  bi 
a  sledge  formed  of  those  liglit  materials  used  by  the 
Esquimaux  in  the  construction  of  their  boats,  and 
drawn  either  by  reindeer  or  dogs.  The  former  ani- 
mals are  so  fleet,  that,  in  favourable  circumstances, 
they  might  go  and  return  in  a  fortnight,  while  the 
best  dog-team  would  require  five  or  six  weeks ;  the 
latter,  however,  would  be  more  tractable,  and  better 
fitted  for  skimming  over  thin  or  broken  ice.  Though 
the  cold  would  be  very  severe,  yet  as  no  very 
alarming  increase  occurred  between  the  seventieth 
■and  eightieth  degrees  of  latitude,  there  was  little 
ground  to  apprehend  that  in  the  other  ten  degrees. 


I'^j 


286 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


r. 


reaching  to  the  Pole,  it  should  become  insupportable. 
For  provisions  were  recommended  portable  soups, 
potted  meats,  and  other  substances,  which,  with  little 
weight,  contained  much  nourishment. 

These  suggestions  did  not  for  a  considerable  time 
attract  attention ;  but  at  length  Captain  Parry,  after 
his  three  brilliant  voyages  to  the  north-west,  finding 
reason  to  suspect  that  his  farther  progress  in  that 
direction  was  hopeless,  turned  his  enterprising  views 
elsewhere,  and  conceived  the  ambition  of  penetrating 
over  the  frozen  sea  to  the  Pole.  Combining  Mr, 
Scoresby's  ideas  with  his  own  observations,  and  with 
a  series  of  reflections  derived  by  Captain  Franklin 
from  his  extensive  experience,  Captain  Parry  formed 
and  submitted  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  the  plan 
of  an  expedition  over  the  Polar  ice.  Their  Lord- 
ships, having  referred  this  proposal  to  the  council  and 
committee  of  the  Royal  Society,  and  received  a  favour- 
able report  as  to  the  advantages  which  science  might 
derive  from  such  a  journey,  applied  themselves  with 
their  usual  alacrity  to  supply  the  Captain  with  every 
thing  which  could  assist  him  m  this  bold  undertaking. 
The  Hecla  was  employed  to  carry  him  as  far  as  a 
ship  could  go,  and  with  her  were  sent  two  boats,  to 
be  dragged  or  navigated,  according  to  circumstances, 
along  the  unknown  and  desolate  expanse  between 
Spitzbergen  and  the  Pole.  These  boats,  being  built 
or  successive  thin  planks  of  ash,  fir,  and  oak,  with 
sheets  of  water-proof  canvass  and  stout  felt  inter- 
posed, united  the  greatest  possible  degree  of  strength 
and  elasticity.  The  interior  was  made  capacious  and 
flat-flooied,  somewhat  as  in  troop-boats,  and  a  runner 
attached  to  each  side  of  the  keel  fitted  them  to  be 
drawn  along  the  ice  like  a  sledge.  Wheels  were 
also  taken  on  board,  in  case  their  use  should  be  found 
practicable. 

The  adventurers  started  early.  On  the  27th  March, 
1827,  they  were  towed  down  the  river  by  the  Comet 
steamboat,  and  on  the  4th  April  weighed  from  the 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


287 


iportable. 
le  soups, 
vith  little 

able  time 
iny,  after 
3t,  finding 
IS  in  that 
Aug  views 
jnetrating 
ining  Mr. 
I,  and  with 
,  Fr.inklin 
Ty  formed 
ty  the  plan 
tieir  Lord- 
ouncil  and 
da  favour- 
nee  might 
lelves  with 
with  every 
idertakmg. 
s  far  as  a 
)  boats,  to 
imstances, 
between 
eing  built 
oak,  with 
felt  inter- 
f  strength 
cious  and 
|d  a  runner 
lem  to  be 
eels  were 
be  found 

rth  March, 

Ihe  Comet 

from  the 


Nore  On  the  19th  they  entered  the  fine  harbour 
of  Hammerfest  in  Norway,  where  they  remained  two 
or  three  weeks,  and  took  on  board  eight  reindeer, 
with  a  quantity  of  picked  moss  for  their  provender. 
Quitting  Norway  on  the  11th  May,  they  soon  found 
themselves  among  the  ice,  and  met  a  number  of 
whale-ships.  On"  the  13th  they  were  in  view  of 
Hakluyt's  Headland,  when  the  Captain  endeavoured 
to  push  his  way  to  the  north-east  in  the  track  of 
Phipps.  The  vessel,  however,  was  soon  completely 
beset,  and  even  enclosed  in  a  large  floe,  which 
carried  her  slowly  eastward  along  with  it.  As  every 
day  was  now  an  irretrievable  loss,  Captain  Parry 
became  impatient  in  the  extreme,  and  formed  a  plan 
to  push  off  northward,  leaving  the  ship  to  find  a  har- 
bour for  herself,  where  he  trusted  on  his  return  to 
trace  her  out.  But  the  survey  of  the  route  in  the 
proposed  direction  was  most  discouraging.  In  con- 
sequence of  some  violent  agitation  in  the  preceding 
season,  the  ice  had  been  piled  up  in  innumerable 
hummocks,  causing  the  sea  to  resemble  a  stone-ma- 
son's yard,  except  that  it  contained  masses  six  times 
larger.  This  state  of  the  surface,  which  would  have 
rendered  it  impossible  to  drag  the  boats  more  than  a 
mile  in  the  day,  was  found  to  prevail  for  a  considera- 
ble space  with  little  interruption.  The  current  mean- 
time continued  to  carry  the  ship,  with  the  floe  to 
which  it  was  attached,  slowly  to  the  eastward,  till  it 
brought  her  into  shoals  in  the  vicinity  of  ice,  where 
she  grounded  in  six  fathoms ;  after  which  Captain 
Parry  felt  it  quite  out  of  the  question  to  leave  her 
till  she  was  lodged  in  a  secure  harbour.  He  worked 
on  gradually,  however,  to  the  east  and  north,  passing 
Walden  Island,  and  obtaining  a  full  view  of  the 
Seven  Islands ;  but  here  the  sea  was  covered  with 
one  unbroken  land  floe  attached  to  all  the  shores, 
which  destroyed  every  hope  of  finding  a  harbour 
among  these  islands.  No  choice  was  then  left  but 
to  steer  back  for  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  whe^e  he 


\m 


'  'I 


.1      A- 


lll 


I  i  t 


»88 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGEff* 


,w 


:   ( 


unexpectedly  lighted  on  a  very  excellent  harbour^ 
named  by  him  Hecla  Cove,  and  which  proved  to  be 
part  of  the  bay  to  which  an  old  Dutch  chart  had 
given  the  name  of  Treurenberg.  It  was  now  the 
20th  of  June,  and  the  best  of  tlie  season  had  been 
spent  in  beating  backwards  and  forwards  on  these 
ice-bound  shores;  he  therefore  resolved,  without 
farther  delay,  to  prosecute  the  main  object  of  his 
enterprise.  Scarcely  hoping  to  reach  the  Pole,  he 
determined,  at  all  events,  to  push  as  far  north  as 
possible.  He  took  with  him  seventy  one  days'  pro 
vision,  consisting  of  pemmi<can,  (beef  dried  and 
pounded),  biscuit,  cocoa,  and  rum.  Spirits  of  wine,, 
as  the  most  portable  and  concentrated  fuel,  was 
alone  used  for  that  purpose*  There  were  provided 
changes  of  warm  clothing,  thick  fur-dresses  for  sleep- 
ing in,  and  strong  Esquimaux  boots.  The  reindeer 
and  also  the  wheels  were  given  up  at  once  as  altogether 
useless  in  the  present  rugged  state  of  the  ice ;  but 
four  sledges,  constructed  out  of  the  Esquimaux 
snow-shoes,  proved  very  c(wivenient  for  dragging 
along  the  baggage. 

On  the  22d  June  the  expeditionary  party  quitted 
the  ship,  and  betook  themselves  to  the  boats  amid 
the  cheers  of  their  associates.  Although  all  the 
shores  were  still  frozen,  they  had  an  open  sea,  calm 
and  smooth  as  a  mirror,  through  which  they  sailed 
slowly  but  agreeably  with  their  loaded  vessels. 
After  proceeding  thus  for  about  eighty  miles,  they 
reached,  not  as  they  had  hoped,  the  main  body  of  the 
ice,  but  a  surface  intermediate  between  ice  and  water* 
This  could  neither  be  walked  nor  sailed  over,  but 
was  to  be  passed  by  the  two  methods  alternately^ 
However,  on  such  a  strange  and  perilous  plan  it  be- 
hooved them  to  land,  in  order  to  commence  their 
laborious  and  monotonous  journey  towards  the  Pole. 

Captain  Parry  describes  in  an  interesting  manner 
the  singular  mode  of  travelling  to  which  they  were 
compelk^d  to  adhere.    The  first  step  was  to  convert 


harboufr 
ed  to  be 
hart  had 
now  the 
lad  been 
on  these 

without 
ct  of  his 

Pole,  he 
north  as 
lays'  pro 
Iried  and 

of  winey 
fuel,  was 

provided 
i  for  sleep- 
B  reindeer 
altogether 
I  ice ;  but 
Isquimaux 

dragging 

ty  quitted 
3ats  amid 
rh  all  the 
sea,  calm 
ley  sailed 
vessels, 
liles,  they 
dy  of  the 
id  water- 
over,  but 
Itemately^ 
llan  it  he- 
nce their 
the  Pole, 
manner 
[hey  were 
convert 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES 


289 


night  into  day ;  to  begin  their  journey  in  the  evening 
and  end  it  in  the  morning.  Thus,  while  they  had 
quite  enough  of  light,  they  avoided  the  snow-glare 
and  the  blindness  which  it  usually  produces ;  they 
had  the  ice  drier  and  harder  beneath  them;  and  they 
enjoyed  the  greatest  warmth,  when  it  was  most 
wanted,  during  the  period  of  sleep :  they  were  only 
a  little  annoyed  by  frequent  and  denser  fogs.  Thus 
their  notions  of  night  and  day  became  inverted. 
They  rose  in  what  they  called  the  morning,  but 
which  was  really  late  in  the  evening,  and  having 
performed  their  devotions,  breakfasted  on  warm  co- 
coa and  biscuit.  They  then  drew  on  their  boots, 
usually  either  wet  or  hard  frozen ;  and  which,  though 
perfectly  dried,  would  have  been  equally  soaked  in 
fifteen  minutes.  The  party  then  travelled  five  or  six 
hours,  and  a  little  after  midnight  stopped  to  dine. 
They  now  performed  an  equal  journey  in  what  was 
called  the  afternoon ;  and  in  the  evening,  that  is,  at 
an  advanced  morning  hour,  halted  as  for  the  night. 
They  then  applied  themselves  to  obtain  rest  and 
comfort,  put  on  dry  stockings  and  fur-boots,  cooked 
something  warm  for  supper,  smoked  their  pipes,  told 
over  their  exploits,  and,  forgetting  the  toils  of  the 
day,  enjoyed  an  interval  of  ease  and  gayety.  Then, 
wrapping  themselves  in  their  fur-cloaks,  they  lay 
down  in  the  boat,  rather  too  close  together  perhaps, 
but  with  very  tolerable  comfort.  The  sound  of  a 
bugle  roused  them  at  night  to  their  breakfast  of 
cocoa,  and  to  a  repetition  of  the  same  round. 

The  progress  for  several  days  was  most  slow  and 
laborious.  The  floes  were  small,  exceedingly  rough, 
and  with  interposed  lanes  of  water,  which  could 
not  be  crossed  without  unloading  the  boats.  It  was 
commonly  necessary  to  convey  these  and  the  stores 
by  two  stages,  when  the  sailors„being  obliged  to  re- 
turn for  the  second  portion,  had  to  go  three  times 
over  the  same  ground  ;  sometimes  they  were  obliged 
to  make  three  stages,  and  thus  to  pass  over  it>  five 

Bb 


Hi 


'U'. 

m 


'I  ii? 


li -^ 


2f90 


RECENT   POLAR   V0YAGE4J. 


times.  Tliere  fell  as  much  rain  as  they  had  expe- 
rienced during  the  whole  course  of  seven  years 
in  a  lower  latitude.  A  great  deal  of  the  ice  over 
which  they  travelled  Was  formed  into  numberless 
irregular  needle-like  crystals,  standing  upwards,  and 
pointed  at  both  ends.  The  horizontal  surface  of 
this  part  had  sometimes  the  appearance  of  greenish 
velvet,  while  the  vertical  sections,  when  in  a  com- 
pact state,  resembled  the  most  beautiful  satin-spar, 
and  asbestos  when  going  to  pieces.  These  peculiar 
wedges,  it  was  supposed,  were  produced  by  the  drops 
of  rain  piercing  through  the  superficial  ice.  The 
needles  at  first  afforded  tolerably  firm  footing ;  but 
becoming  always  more  loose  and  moveable  as  the 
summer  advanced,  they  at  last  cut  the  boots  and 
feet  as  if  they  had  been  penknives.  Sometimes,  too, 
there  arose  hummocks  so  elevated  and  rugged  that 
the  boats  could  only  be  borne  over  them,  in  a  di- 
rection almost  perpendicular,  by  those  formidable 
operations  called  "a  standing  pulf  and  a  bowline 
haul."  The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  a  severe  ex- 
ertion of  five  or  six  hours  did  not  usually  produce  a 
progress  of  above  a  mile  and'  a  half  or  two  miles, 
and  that  in  a  winding  direction ;  so  that,  after  having 
entered  upon  the  ice  on  the  24th  June,  in  latitude  81' 
degrees  13  minutes,  they  found  themselves  on  the  29th 
only  in  81  degrees  23  minutes,  having  thus  made  only 
about  eight  miles  of  direct  northinff.  Captain  Parry 
soon  relinquished  all  hope  of  reaching  the  Pole; 
however  it  was  resolved  to  push  on  as  far  as  possible. 
The  party  came  at  length  to  somewhat  smoother 
ice  and  larger  floes,  and  made  rather  better  progress; 
While  the  boats  were  landing  on  one  of  these,  the 
commander  and  Lieutenant  Ross  usually  pushed  on 
to  the  other  end  to  ascertain  the  best  course.  On 
reaching  the  extremity,  they  commonly  mounted 
the  largest  hummock,  whence  they  beheld  a  scene  of 
which  nothing  could  exceed  the  dreariness.  The  eye 
rested  only  upon  ice.  and  a  sky  hid  in  dense  and  dw- 


If- 


RECENT  POIAR  VOYAGES. 


291 


id  expff' 
m  year* 
ice  over 
mberless 
ards,  and 
irface  of 
greenish 
n  a  cora- 
atin-spar, 
J  peculiar 
the  drops 
ice.    The 
►ting;  but 
)Ie  as  the 
l)oots  and 
imes,  tooy 
igged  that 
1,  in  a  di- 
formidable 
a  bowline 
severe  ex- 
produce  a 
.wo  miles, 
ter  having 
latitude  81 
3n  the  29th 
made  only 
tain  Parry 
the  Pole; 
s  possible, 
smoother 
•  progress, 
these,  the 
pushed  on 
mrse.    On 
mounted 
a  scene  of 
,    The  eye 
se  and  dt9« 


mal  fogs.  Amid  this  scene  of  inanimate  desolation, 
the  view  of  a  passing  bird,  or  of  ice  in  any  peculiar 
shape,  excited  an  intense  interest,  which  they  smiled 
to  recollect ;  but  they  were  principally  cheered  by 
viewing  the  two  boats  in  the  distance,  the  moving 
figures  of  the  men  winding  with  their  sledges 
among  the  hummocks,  and  by  hearing  the  sound  of 
human  voices,  which  broke  the  silence  of  this  fro- 
2en  wilderness.  The  rain,  and  the  increasing 
warmth  of  the  season,  indeed  gradually  softened 
the  ice  and  snow,  but  this  only  caused  the  travellers 
to  sink  deep  at  every  step.  At  one  place  they  sunk 
repeatedly  three  feet,  and  required  three  hours  to 
make  a  hundred  yards.  As  they  halted  on  the  eve- 
ning of  the  5th  July,  the  margin  of  the  floe  broke, 
and  a  bag  of  cocoa  fell  into  the  sea,  but  luckily 
alighted  on  a  tongue  of  ice  and  was  taken  up.*  At 
the  same  time  pools  and  even  lakes  were  formed  on 
the  frozen  surface ;  and  though  the  peculiar  blue  ot 
these  super^lacial  lakes  formed  one  of  the  most 
b(  lUtiful  tints  in  nature,  thi.«  was  a  poor  compensa- 
tion for  being  obliged  to  make  a  great  detour  in 
order  to  avoid  them.  Still,  amid  all  these  dilR- 
cuities,  the  floes  became  on  the  whole  larger,  the 
lanes  of  water  longer,  and  the  day's  journey  was 
gradually  extended.  Having  attained  82  degrees 
40  minutes,  they  began  to  hold  it  as  a  flxed  point 
that  their  efforts  would  be  crowned  with  success  so 
far  as  to  reach  the  eighty-third  parallel.  This  hope 
seemed  converted  into  certainty,  when,  on  the  22d 
they  had  travelled  seventeen  miles,  the  greater  pro- 
portion of  which  was  directly  north.  But  there  now 
occuned  an  unfavourable  change,  which  baffled  all 
their  toils  and  hopes.  Down  to  the  19th  the  wind  had 
blown  steadily  from  the  south,  and,  without  aiding 

*  It  may  be  meniiniipd ,  tlint  the  contpntH  nf  the  pnckaiie  here  alhided 
to  were  found  to  be  quite  uninjured  aflerthiR  rude  iinmerHion,  a  pro- 
lection  ascribed  to  "  Markintosh'B  waier  proof  canvass," — a  manufac- 
ture which,  aa  a  lecurity  for  sea-stores,  is  meiilioncd  by  Captain  Parcjr 
ia  teriBJ  of  the  highest  couuiciulailuu. 


1^  '  V. 

1 


i    1 


1} 


^  \f 


:  i 


If  # 

If  k 

1 1: 


i 

) 

K' 

1 

1 
If 

ll . 

1 

292 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


them  much,  had  at  least  checked  the  usual  move- 
ment of  the  ice  in  that  direction.  On  this  last  day, 
however,  a  steady  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  north, 
which  opened,  indeed,  a  few  lanes  of  water;  but 
this  it  was  feared  could  not  compensate  for  the  de- 
gree in  which  it  could  not  fail  to  cause  the  loos- 
ened masses  of  ice,  with  the  travellers  upon  them, 
to  drift  to  the  southward.  This  effect  was  soon  found 
to  take  place  to  an  extent  still  more  alarming  than 
had  been  at  first  anticipated.  Instead  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  which  they  reckoned  themselves  to  have  tra- 
velled northward  on  the  22d,  they  were  found  not  to 
have  made  quite  four.  This  most  discouraging  fact 
was  at  first  concealed  from  the  sailprs,  who  only  re- 
marked, that  they  were  very  long  of  getting  to  this 
83d  degree.  The  expedition  was  now  fast  approach- 
ing the  utmost  limits  of  animal  life.  During  their 
long  journey  of  the  22d  they  saw  only  two  seals,  a 
fish,  and  a  bird.  On  the  24th  only  one  solitary  rotge 
was  heard;  and  it  might  be  presumed  that,  from 
thence  to  the  Pole,  all  would  be  a  mighty  scene  of  si- 
lence and  solitude.  The  adventurers  pushed  on  with- 
out hesitation  beyond  the  realms  of  life ;  but  now, 
after  three  days  of  bad  travelling,  when  their  reckon- 
ing gave  them  ten  or  eleven  miles  of  progress,  observa. 
tion  showed  them  to  be  four  miles  south  of  the  posi- 
tion which  they  occupied  on  the  evening  of  the  22d. 
The  drifting  of  the  snow-fields  had  in  that  time  car 
ried  them  fourteen  miles  backward.  This  was  too 
much.  To  reach  even  the  eighty-third  degree,  though 
only  twenty  miles  distant,  was  now  beyond  the 
limits  of  hope.  To  ask  the  men  to  undergo  such  un- 
paralleled toil  and  hardship,  with  the  danger  of  their 
means  being  exhausted,  while  an  invisible  power 
undid  what  their  most  strenuous  daily  labours 
achieved,  was  contrary  to  the  views  of  their  consi- 
derate commander.  In  short,  ho  determined  that  they 
should  take  a  day  of  rest,  and  then  set  out  on  their 
return.    This  resolution  was  communicated  to  the 


RECENT   POLAR   VOYAGES. 


293 


al  move- 
last  day, 
;he  north, 
ater;  but 
)r  the  de- 
the  loos- 
ton  them, 
oon  found 
ning  than 
or  twelve 
have  tra- 
und  not  to 
•aging  fact 
10  only  re- 
ing  to  this 
;  approach- 
aring  their 
yo  seals,  a 
litary  rotge 
that,  from 
3cene  of  si- 
ted on  with- 
;  but  now, 
eir  reckon- 
3s,observa- 
if  the  posi- 
,f  the  22d. 
It  time  car 
„  was  too 
•ee,  though 
leyond  the 
:o  such  un- 
•er  of  their 
Ible  power 
labours 
leir  consi- 
id  that  they 
It  on  their 
,tedto  the 


crew,  who,  though  deeply  disappointed  at  having 
achieved  so  little,  acquiesced  in  the  necessity,  and 
consoled  themselves  with  the  idea  of  having  gone 
farther  liorth  than  any  previous  expedition  of  which 
there  was  a  well-authenticated  record. 

The  return  was  equally  laborious  as  the  going  out, 
and  in  some  respects  more  unpleasant,  from  the  in- 
creasing softness  of  the  ice  and  snow;  depriving 
them  of  confidence  in  any  spot  on  which  they  could 
place  their  boats  or  persons,  and  often  sinking  two 
or  three  feet  in  an  instant.  However,  the  drift 
southward  made  no  longer  any  deduction  from  their 
progress,  but  added  to  it,  every  observation  giving 
them  several  miles  beyond  their  reckoning.  There 
was  more  open  water,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  them 
that  the  sun  in  their  nightly  journeying  was  lower 
in  the  horizon  4  whik,  being  to  the  northward,  he 
did  not  as,  formerly,  glare  in  their  faces.  They  met 
several  bears,  and  killed  one,  which  was  eagerly  de- 
voured by  the  hungry  crew ;  but  the  meal  was  fol- 
lowed by  such  severe  symptoms  of  indigestion  as 
inspired  an  unfavourable  opinion  regarding  the  flesh 
of  this  animal.  Captain  Parry  attributed  the  bad 
effects  to  the  enormous  quantity  eaten.  At  length, 
on  the  11th  August,  they  heard  the  sound  of  the 
surge  breaking  against  the  exterior  margin  of  the 
great  icy  field.  They  were  soon  launched  on  the  open 
sea,  and  reached  Table  Island,  where  a  supply  of 
bread  had  been  deposited ;  but  Bruin  had  discovered 
it,  and  devoured  the  whole.  They  found,  however, 
some  accommodations ;  while  the  stores  left  at  Wal- 
den's  Island  were  still  quite  undisturbed.  On  the  21st 
the  navigators  arrived  in  Hecla  Cove,  from  wht  nee 
soon  afterward,  they  sailed  for  England. 

Such  was  the  result  of  the  first  and  only  attemp. 
to  penetrate  to  the  Pole  over  the  frozen  surface  of 
the  deep.  All  the  prowess,  energy,  and  hardihood 
of  British  seamen  were  exerted  to  the  utmost,  with- 
out making  even  an  approach  towards  the  ful|il- 

Bb2 


■!!, 


II    i, 


Wi 


<K 


a 


if 


294 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


i 


ment  of  their  object.  A  failure  so  complete  has 
suspended  for  the  present  every  idea  of  resuming 
the  project ;  yet  there  seems  nothing  in  the  details 
just  given  to  deter  from  the  enterprise  as  impossible, 
or  even  to  render  it  very  unfeasible.  The  unfavour- 
able issue  seems  evidently  owing  to  the  advanced 
season  of  the  year,  when  the  thaw  and  consequent 
dissolution  of  the  ice  had  made  great  progress,  and 
all  the  materials  of  the  great  northern  f  oor  were 
broken  up.  The  water,  in  its  progressive  conver- 
sion from  solid  into  fluid,  presented  only  a  trea- 
cherous quicksand,  in  which  the  travellers  sunk  at 
every  step,  with  the  peril  of  being  finally  swallowed 
up.  The  ice  in  these  intermediate  stages  of  its  tran- 
sition into  water,  and  in  the  breaches  and  pressures 
to  which  this  gave  rise,  assumed  a  variety  of  much 
more  rugged  forms,  than  when  it  was  spread  and 
fast  bound  over  the  surface  of  th6  ocean.  Its  ten- 
dency also  when  loosened  to  float  to  the  southward, 
carrying  with  it  whatever  is  moving  along  its  sur- 
face, inevitably  defeats  every  attempt  to  proceed 
over  it  in  a  contrary  direction.  We  entirely  concur, 
therefore,  in  Mr.  Scoresby's  opinion,  that  a  departure 
much  earlier  in  the  season  would  be  quite  indis- 
pensable to  give  any  chance  of  success.  We  would 
even  go  farther  than  he,  and  advise  to  start  at  the 
first  dawn  of  the  Polar  day,  when  there  would  be 
a  probable  chance  of  returnmg  by  the  end  of  June. 
The  great  plain  of  ice  would  be  much  smoother  and 
much  firmer  at  that  than  at  any  other  season.  It 
would  be  deeply  covered  with  snow,  which  would 
fill  various  interstices,  convert  rugged  steeps  into 
sloping  ridges,  and  produce  a  surface  generally  more 
level  and  uniform.  Tliis  coating,  too,  would  then 
be  much  harder,  perhaps  sufficient  to  sustain  the 
weight  both  of  the  men  and  boats,  and  afford  every 
where  sure  and  solid  footing.  Wheels,  it  is  probable, 
might  be  employed  with  advantage,  though  wholly 
unfit  for  that  rugged  and  sinking  surface  over  which 


h  I A 


RECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


295 


Captain  Pany  was  obliged  to  tread.  We  are  even 
inclined  to  ask,  whether  other  machinery  might  not 
be  beneficially  introduced  1  Could  there  not  be  con- 
structed a  light  portable  bridge,  to  be  thrown  across 
chasms  and  from  hummock  to  hummock,  over  which 
the  keel  of  the  boats  by  due  adaptation  might  slide 
as  on  a  railway,  and  the  evils  of  friction  be  avoided  1 
— The  cold,  doubtless,  would  be  most  extreme  and 
intense;  but  Captain  Parry's  experience  and  manage- 
ment during  his  four  winterings  seem  to  have  re- 
moved every  apprehension  that  it  would  prove  fatal. 
The  boats  might  be  hermetically  closed,  with  wind- 
ing entrances,  like  the  winter-huts  of  the  Esquimaux ; 
and  it  was  clearly  established,  that,  even  in  the  dark- 
est depth  of  the  Polar  winter,  provided  tempests  did 
not  fill  the  sky,  it  was  possible  and  even  most  salu- 
tary, to  perform  brisk  movements  in  the  open  air. 
The  travellers  would  indeed  require  an  addition  to 
their  spirituous  fuel,  not  a  weighty  article ;  also  a 
larger  stock  of  clothes ;  but  these  last  it  would  be  every 
way  expedient  to  wear  on  their  persons.  The  only 
circumstance  which  seems  seriously  alarming,  is  an 
observation  made  by  Captain  Parry,  that  the  daily 
allowance  of  provision,  amounting  to  ten  ounces  of 
biscuit  and  nine  of  pemmican,  was  not  found  sufli- 
cient  to  maintain  the  men  in  full  vigour ;  and  truly, 
when  contrasted  with  their  severe  toils,  it  does  ap- 
pear an  inadequate  supply.  It  were  dreadful  indeed 
to  think  of  sending  a  party  to  the  Pole  on  short  allow- 
ance. The  quantity  could  not  well  be  increased 
without  making  the  drag  too  severe ;  but  we  cannot 
help  thinking  that  the  victuals  selected,  fulfilled  very 
imperfectly  the  obvious  condition  of  being  such  as  to 
comprise  the  greatest  possible  nutriment  in  the  least 
possible  bulk.  Thus  it  seems  unaccountable  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  food  should  have  been  farina- 
ceous, in  the  form  of  dry  biscuit,  which  contains 
surely  much  less  nourishment  than  the  same  weight 
of  animal  food.    We  pretend  not  to  be  at  all  ve^sani 


■i: 


L 


H, 


%  ■'/   J 

f  I?' 

■   I 

r. 

♦f|l.   i 

i 


1*1 


'  I 


896 


KECENT  POLAR  VOYAGES. 


:     A 


:    » 


in  the  mysteries  of  cookery ;  yet  portable  soup,  foe 
instance,  might  certainly  have  been  so  prepared  as 
to  imbody  a  much  greater  amount  of  nutritive  sub- 
stance than  mere  dried  and  pounded  beef;  and,  if 
duly  seasoned,  might  have  formed  a  most  comfortable 
mess  under  the  snows  of  the  Pole.  The  addition  of 
some  rich  cakes,  cheese,  and  butter  might  seem 
likely  to  compose  a  store  which,  without  exceeding 
in  weight  that  of  Captain  Parry,  would  yield  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  nourishment  and  strength. — We 
Should  hesitate  to  recommend  Mr.  Scoresby'splan of 
being  drawn  to  the  Pole  by  reindeer,  or  even  of 
trusting  to  a  team  of  any  description.  These  ani- 
mals would  be  liable  to  many  casualties,  and,  should 
they  break  down  at  an  advanced  period  of  the  route, 
the  result  might  be  disastrous  in  the  extreme. 

This  project  would  requiie,  of  course,  that  the  ship 
should  winter  on  the  northern  coast  of  Spitzbergen ; 
an  arrangement,  we  conceive,  indispensable  to  avoid 
that  delay  which  had  such  an  influence  in  frustrating 
the  late  expedition.  We  are  surprised  to  find,  that 
even  Captain  Party,  after  so  many  successful  winter- 
ings, considers  this  cs  a  serious  objection.  In  fact, 
on  seeing  it  admitted,  that  before  the  close  of  autumn 
a  ship  might  penetrate  to  83°,  and  perhaps  to  83°,  we 
are  tempted  to  ask  whether  a  discovery-vessel  might 
not,  in  the  first  season,  push  forward  to  that  latitude, 
and  find  a  station  either  in  an  island,  if  such  should 
be  found,  as  has  been  done  before ;  or,  if  not,  whether 
it  might  not  enclose  itself  within  one  of  the  great 
fields  of  ice,  and  there  await  the  arrival  of  spring  ? 
A  very  considerable  and  probably  the  roughest  por- 
tion of  the  Polar  route  would  thus  be  avoided. 


A  different  principle  from  that  above  suggested 
has  been  proceeded  upon  by  Captain  K  oss,  in  the 
Arctic  expedition  in  which  he  is  now  engaged.  By 
the  power  of  steam,  which  has  produced  such 
vronders  in  modern  navigation,  he  hopes  to  vanquish 


•  j;? 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


297 


e  soup,  foe 
repared  as 
;ritive  siib- 
lef ;  and,  if 
omfortable 
addition  of 
light  seem 
exceeding 

eld  a  much 
ngth.— We 
by'splan  of 
9r  even  of 
These  ani- 
and,  should 
»f  the  route, 
eme. 

hat  the  ship 

pitzbergen ; 

ble  to  avoid 

L  frustrating 

to  find,  that 

sful  winter- 

n.    In  fact, 

I  of  autumn 

s  to  83°,  we 

essel  might 

lat  latitude, 

>uch  should 

ot,  whether 

f  the  great 

of  spring  I 

ighest  por- 

)ided. 

suggested 
OSS,  in  the 
;aged.  By 
uced  such 
vanquish 


the  obstacles  which  have  arrested  in  this  career  all 
former  navigators.  Steam,  indeed,  has  no  power 
against  ice ;  but  if  at  any  period  of  the  season  there 
should  be  found  an  open  sea  reaching  to  the  Pole,  a 
vessel  thus  propelled  might  in  a  week  perform  the 
voyage  to  and  from  that  great  boundary.  The  doubt 
whether  the  waters  will  ever  open  to  such  an  extent, 
and  the  fear  that,  having  opened  and  allowed  the  na- 
vigators to  pass,  the  ice  may  close  in  behind  them, 
cannot  fail  to  suggest  themselves  to  the  reader's 
mind ;  but  we  do  not  wish  at  present  to  indulge  in 
unfavourable  augury. 

Captain  Ross  makes  this  bold  attempt  solely  upon 
his  own  resources,  and  doubtless  with  the  view  of 
effacing  the  error  by  which  he  relinquished  to  Cap- 
tain Parry  the  glory  of  penetrating  by  Lancaster 
Sound  into  the  Polar  ocean.  He  took  his  departure 
in  the  Spring  of  1839.  His  vessel,  it  appears,  suf- 
fered some  damage  in  the  Greenland  sea,  which  he 
was  enabled  to  repair  by  the  aid  of  a  ship  employed  in 
whale-fishing.  He  proposed,  it  was  understood,  to 
winter  in  Spitzbergen,  and  in  the  course  of  the  present 
summer  to  attempt  the  execution  of  his  grand  design. 
The  issue,  however,  is  not  likely  to  be  known  in  this 
country  till  a  very  advanced  period  of  the  season. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  J^orthem  Whale-Fishery* 

We  have  formerly  had  occasion  to  notice  the  great 
number  and  stupendous  magnitude  of  those  animal 
forms  with  which  nature  has  filled  the  abysses  of  the 
Arctic  ocean.  The  cetaceous  orders,  which  include 
the  mightiest  of  living  beings,  belong  peculiarly,  and 


Ar'^ 


f  11 


i; 


298 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


«;  tii 


i ' 


'I  ^ 


in  some  respects  exclusively,  to  those  northern 
depths.  Confident  in  their  multitude  and  their 
strengfth,  they  would  for  ever  have  rested  peaceful  and 
undisturbed  amid  the  vast  and  dreary  domain  which 
Providence  has  given  them  to  occupy,  had  not  the 
spirit  of  avarice  commenced  against  them  a  deadly 
warfare.  Man,  ever  searching  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  globe  for  objects  which  might  contribute  to 
his  use  and  accommodation,  discovered  in  those 
huge  animals  a  variety  of  substances  fitted  for  the 
supply  of  important  wants.  Even  after  his  more 
refined  taste  rejected  their  flesh  as  food,  the  oil  was 
required  to  trim  the  winter  lamp,  and  to  be  employed 
in  various  branches  of  manufacture ;  while  the  bone, 
from  its  firm,  flexible,  and  elastic  quality,  is  pecu- 
liarly fitted  for  various  articles  of  dress  and  omanient. 
No  sooner,  therefore,  had  the  course  of  discovery 
opened  a  way  into  the  seas  of  the  north,  than  he 
discerned  the  benefits  which  might  be  derived  from 
snatching  the  spoil  of  these  tenants  of  the  frozen 
waters.  He  commenced  against  them  a  system  of 
attack,  that  was  soon  converted  into  a  regular  trade, 
but  one  more  full  of  adventure  and  peril  than  any 
other  by  which  human  subsistence  is  earned. 

It  has  been  generally  supposed  that  whale-fishing, 
as  a  commercial  pursuit,  arose  subsequently  to  the 
revival  of  navigation  in  Europe ;  but  the  researches  of 
Mr.  Scoresby  leave  no  doubt  that,  on  a  small  scale 
at  least,  it  existed  at  a  much  earlier  period.  Even 
the  voyage  of  Ohthere,  in  890,  shows  that  its  opera- 
tions were  already  carried  on  with  some  activity  on 
the  coast  of  Norway.  Indeed  it  was  natural  that, 
in  this  native  region  of  the  cetacea,  their  capture 
would  commence  sooner  than  elsewhere,  and  at  an 
era  probably  ascending  far  beyond  human  records. 
Still  this  was  not  the  true  whale,  an  animal  which 
never  leaves  its  haunts  in  the  depths  of  the  Arctic 
zone.  It  was  that  species  of  dolphin  called  bottle- 
nose,  which  alone  reaches  the  northern  extremities 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


299 


of  Europe ;  is  occasionally  stranded  on  the  coasts  of 
Orkney  and  Shetland ;  and  at  times  penetrates  \.  .ch 
farther  south. 

The  Northmen,  in  their  career  of  conquest  and 
settlement  over  Europe,  introduced  on  the  coast  of 
France  the  hunting  of  the  whale,  which,  to  these 
hardy  mariners,  was  at  once  a  trade  and  a  sport ; 
having  found  in  the  southern  seas  an  inferior  species, 
attracted  thither  hy  the  shoals  of  herrings  on  which  it 
fed.  These  smaller  fish  frequent  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
to  which  they  seem  to  make  a  penodical  migration, 
and  where  they  are  arrested  by  the  wide  circuit  of 
its  shores.  Ancient  documents  prove  that  the  Nor- 
mans, the  Flemings,  and  even  the  English,  regarded 
them  as  a  valuable  commodity ;  less,  however,  for 
the  oil,  which  in  this  species  is  not  very  abundant, 
than  for  the  flesh,  which  satisfied  the  hunger  and  even 
pleased  the  palate  of  our  rude  ancestors.  Whales' 
tongues  are  ranked  among  the  delicacies  that  adorned 
the  table  of  the  middle  ages. 

The  bay  just  named  afforded  the  chief  theatre  for 
this  soutnem  whale-fishery,  which  was  almost  en- 
tirely engrossed  by  the  people  inhabiting  its  interior 
shores ;  those  of  Beam  and  Gascony  on  the  French 
side,  and  of  Biscay  on  the  Spanish.  The  Basques  in 
particular  soon  surpassed  all  other  nations,  and  car- 
ried to  such  perfection  the  processes  connected  with 
this  pursuit,  that  the  most  expert  whale-fishei-s  in 
modern  times  have  done  little  more  than  copy  their 
usages.  By  degrees  they  extended  their  adventures 
into  the  northern  seas,  where  they  met  the  people 
of  Iceland,  a  Norwegian  colony,  who  had  already 
engaged  in  this  trade.  Here  the  Basques  and  Ice- 
landers, combining  their  efforts,  soon  brought  the 
fishery  into  a  very  flourishing  state. 

This,  however,  was  conducted  on  a  small  scale, 
when  compared  with  the  enterprise  of  modem  nations. 
Yet  the  first  northern  navigators  were  not  attracted 
thither  by  this  special  object,  but  stumbled  on  it,  as 


I  if 


•■!» 


800 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


M. 


%  r 


•■i 


it  were,  in  the  course  of  their  arduous  attempts  to 
accomplish  a  passage  to  India  by  the  Arctic  seas 
Barentz,  in  1596,  discovered  Spitzbergen,  long  the 
main  seat  of  this  fishery,  and  even  examined  a  con- 
siderable extent  of  its  shores ;  but  as  these  presented 
an  obstruction  to  his  views  of  reaching  India,  and  as 
his  voyage  closed  at  last  in  disaster,  no  other  result 
was  obtained  beyond  a  certain  knowledge  of  geo- 
graphy and  of  the  animal  kingdom. 

The  English  were  the  first  who  pushed  their  ope- 
rations into  the  depth  of  the  Arctic  ocean.  The  Bear 
Island  of  Barentz,  being  rediscovered  and  named 
after  Alderman  Cherie,  gave  rise  to  a  series  of  voy- 
ages for  the  capture  of  the  walrus,  of  which  some 
account  has  been  already  given.  The  views  of  the 
merchants  were  much  extended,  when  Hudson,  hav- 
ing engaged  in  his  daring  attempt  to  reach  and  to 
cross  the  Pole,  surveyed  Spitzbergen  or  East  Green- 
land even  to  its  northern  extremity.  Although  unable 
to  penetrate  farther,  he  gave  information  regarding 
the  immense  number  of  whales  which  were  seen  on 
those  Arctic  shores.  Thenceforth  the  adventurers 
fitted  out  for  Polar  discovery  were  instructed  to  cover 
their  expenses,  as  far  as  mighc  be,  by  the  occasional 
capture  of  these  valuable  animals.  This  arrange- 
ment, as  formerly  remarked,  was  not  happy,  so  far 
as  discovery  was  concerned,  since  the  considerations 
of  profit  were  very  likely  to  supersede  the  main  object 
of  the  voyage.  Poole,  in  1610,  confined  his  views 
almost  entirely  to  the  capture  of  the  walrus ;  but  as 
he  reported  a  great  abundance  of  whales,  the  Com- 
pany next  year  sent  out  the  Mary  Margaret,  furnished 
with  Biscayan  harpooners,  and  with  every  thing  re- 
quisite for  the  great  fishery.  Captain  Edge  accord- 
ingly succeeded  in  taking  a  small  whale,  which 
yielded  twelve  tons  of  oil ;  the  first,  as  he  conceives, 
that  was  ever  extracted  in  the  Greenland  seas.  The 
termination  of  this  voyage  was  unfortunate ;  yet  the 
Muscovy  Company  next  year  sent  out  two  ships, 


"KOKTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


301 


ttempts  to 
rctic  seas 
I,  long  the 
ned  a  con- 
j  presented 
dia,  and  as 
ither  result 
ge  of  geo- 

l  their  ope- 
The  Bear 
and  named 
ies  of  voy- 
^hich  some 
iews  of  the 
udson,  hav- 
ach  and  to 
East  Green- 
3Ugh  unable 
1  regarding 
ere  seen  on 
adventurers 
ted  to  cover 
!  occasional 
is  arrange- 
ippy,  so  far 
isiderations 
main  object 
his  views 
rus ;  but  as 
,  the  Com- 
it,  furnished 
^  thing  re- 
[ge  accord- 
ale,  which 
conceives, 
seas.    The 
.te ;  yet  the 
two  ships. 


the  Whale  and  the  Seahorse,  to  follow  up  the  design. 
The  Dutch,  meantime,  intent  on  every  form  of  com- 
mercial adventure,  had  vessels  that  very  year  for  the 
same  purpose  in  the  Greenland  waters.  These  our 
countrymen  chose  to  consider  as  interlopers,  and 
being  the  stronger  party,  compelled  their  rivals  to 
decamp,  without  even  attempting  the  fishery.  Next 
year  the  same  Company  obtained  a  royal  charter, 
prohibiting  all  besides  themselves  to  intermeddle  in 
any  shape  with  this  valuable  branch  of  industry.  To 
make  good  this  privilege,  which  the  Dutch  were  not 
disposed  to  consider  well-founded,  the  Company  fitted 
out  seven  strong  and  well-armed  ships,  whose  com- 
manders, on  reaching  the  seas  round  Spitzbergen, 
found  them  filled  with  ships  of  different  nations, 
Dutch,  French,  and  Spanish.  All  these  the  English 
compelled  either  to  depart,  or  to  fish  under  the  con- 
dition of  delivering  half  of  the  proceeds  to  them  as 
the  lords  of  the  northern  seas.  So  busy  were  they, 
however,  in  excluding  others,  that,  little  time  or  care 
being  bestowed  on  their  own  fishing,  they  returned 
very  slenderly  laden.  Foreign  nations  exclaimed 
against  this  interference  as  a  most  flagrant  example 
of  tlie  tyranny  of  the  new  mistress  of  the  ocean ; 
and,  indeed,  the  grounds  on  which  England  rested 
her  claim  do  not  appear  to  have  been  valid.  She 
alleged  the  prior  occupation  made  by  Sir  Hugh  Wil- 
loughby ;  but  supposing  that  the  mere  view,  through 
mist  and  tempest,  of  the  Spitzbergen  coast,  could 
have  established  a  permanent  right  to  rule  over  the 
neighbouring  waters,  this  discovery  was  shown  by 
Peter  Plancius,  the  cosmographer,  on  the  clearest 
grounds,  to  have  been  made  by  Barentz,  and  not  by 
Sir  Hugh.  The  commencement  of  the  fishery  by 
the  English  formed  certainly  a  better  claim,  yet  still 
by  no  means  sufficient  to  establish  perpetual  sove- 
reignty over  those  vast  seas.  The  Dutch  determined 
not  only  to  refuse  acquiescence,  but  to  repel  force 
by  force ;  for  which  purpose  they  sent  out  fleets  so 

Cc 


« 


'i 


:i    V 


302 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


numerous  and  so  well  armed,  that  for  some  years 
only  slight  and  partial  annoyances  were  sustained 
by  them ;  while  the  two  governments  appear  to  have 
looked  on  and  allowed  the  adventurers  to  fight  it  out. 
At  length,  in  1618,  a  general  encounter  took  place, 
which  terminated  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  English, 
one  of  whose  ships  was  taken  and  carried  into  Am- 
sterdam. The  Dutch  administration,  reluctant  to 
involve  themselves  in  a  quarrel  with  their  powerful 
neighbour,  prudently  restored  the  vessel  with  its 
lading  and  crew ;  bestowing  at  the  same  time  a  rei- 
ward  on  the  gallant  seamen  who  had  made  the  cap- 
ture. At  length  it  appeared  expedient  to  put  an  end 
to  this  perpetual  collision.  There  was  admitted  to  be 
room  enough  for  all  the  nations  of  Europe,  provided 
they  ceased  to  annoy  each  other;  therefore  a  divi- 
sion was  made  of  the  coasts  and  bays  of  Spitzbergen 
among  such  States  as  had  been  accustomed  to  resort 
to  the  fishery.  The  English,  allowed  to  have  some- 
what of  the  best  claim,  were  favoured  with  the  first 
choice ;  they  pitched  upon  Horizon  Bay,  Clock  Bay, 
Safety  Port,  and  Magdalena  Bay,  in  the  more  southern 
part  of  the  coast,  and  near  the  laige  island  called 
Charles's  Foreland.  Then  followed  the  other  nations^ 
in  the  order  of  their  adjudged  rights.  The  Dutch 
chose  the  fine  island  at  the  north-west  extremity, 
which  they  named  Amsterdam,  with  three  bays,  one 
of  which,  between  it  and  the  mainland,  they  called 
Hollanders'  Bay.  The  Danes  and  Hamburghers 
found  an  island  and  a  bay  between  the  Dutch  and 
English  stations,  while  the  French  and  Spaniards 
were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with  Biscayners' 
Point  and  other  bleak  promontories  along  the  north- 
ern coast. 

The  English  Russia  or  Muscovy  Company  were 
thus  allowed  full  scope  for  carrying  on  the  trade, 
from  which  they  diligently  excluded  the  rest  of  their 
countrymen.  Their  pursuits,  however,  were  pro- 
bably too  various,  and  their  transactions  on  too  great 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERT. 


303 


a  scale,  for  permitting  them  to  bestow  on  this  diffi- 
cult trade  that  close  attention  which  could  alone 
render  it  productive.  The  gains  of  their  fishery  were 
more  than  absorbed  by  extensive  losses ;  they  gra- 
dually limited  their  transactions,  till  England  scarce-* 
ly  sent  a  ship  to  the  north,  and  saw  all  the  markets 
filled  by  her  industrious  rivals. 

The  Dutch, meantime,  succeeded  in  converting  this 
fishery  into  a  grand  source  of  national  wealth.  At 
first,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  time,  they  fol- 
lowed the  objectionable  system  of  an  exclusive 
company,  though  on  a  spmewhat  liberal  scale.  The 
original  body,  formed  at  Amsterdam,  was  obliged  to 
admit  others  belonging  to  Zealand  and  Friesland, 
and  finally  to  receive  into  their  number  many  weal- 
thy individuals  of  the  province  of  Holland.  The 
nation,  having  thus  invested  an  immense  capital  in 
this  trade,  and  carrying  it  on  with  their  characteris- 
tic prudence  and  diligence,  soon  raised  it  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  prosperity.  On  their  first  arrival  in 
the  northern  seas,  the  whales  were  seen  extended  on 
the  face  of  the  deep  without  any  fear,  and  present- 
ing themselves,  as  it  were,  to  the  stroke  of  the  har- 
poon. The  only  difficulty  was  to  carry  them  home ; 
for  oiie  or  two  such  large  animals  were  sufficient  to 
fill  a  ship.  The  Dutch  adopted,  therefore,  the  plan 
of  extracting  on  the  spot  the  oil  and  bones ;  thus 
reducing,  all  the  valuable  substance  into  so  small  a 
compass,  that  one  ship  could  convey  the  produce  of 
numerous  whales.  They  founded  the  village  of 
Smeerenberg,  in  the  bay  of  the  same  name,  where 
fish  were  discovered  in  extraordinary  abundance. 
Boilers,  tanks,  coolers,  and  all  the  requisite  apparatus, 
were  erected  on  an  immense  scale ;  and  this  station, 
during  the  summer,  became  crowded  and  populous, 
resembling  in  some  degree  a  northern  Batavia.  The 
fishers  caught  whales  without  any  effort,  and  had 
only  to  carry  them  two  or  three  miles  to  the  shore, 
where  the  oil  was  extracted.    In  this  drear}'^  comer, 


i-y- 


1:i 


304 


'/< 


Hi  i  1 


'\ 


i 

V 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


too,  were  enjoyed  all  the  luxuries  of  life,  among 
which  ar(y  specially  mentioned  hot  rolls,  prepared 
every  morning.  A  bell  was  rung,  at  the  sound  of 
which  all  the  inhabitants  ran  to  supply  themselves 
with  a  dainty  that  seemed  to  belong  to  a  different 
climate.  Zorgdrager  mentions,  that  he  entered  this 
bay  in  1697,  and  found  it  occupied  by  188  vessels, 
having  on  board  the  produce  of  1959  fish. 

Under  these  easy  circumstances,  the  trade,  even 
in  the  hands  of  an  exclusive  company,  became  an 
ample  source  of  national  wealth.  Soon,  however, 
it  experienced  an  unforeseen  reverse.  The  whales, 
pursued  and  killed  in  such  vast  numbers,  learned  to 
Jread  the  assault  of  that  mighty  destroyer  who  had 
invaded  their  haunts,  undisturbed  for  so  many  prior 
ages.  They  gradually,  and  at  last  almost  entirely, 
deserted  Smeerenberg,  removing  into  North  Bay, 
where  they  were  still  taken  with  facility ;  but  much 
delay  was  incurred  in  the  conveyance  of  the  carcasses 
to  the  former  station.  From  North  Bay,  also,  they 
gradually  receded,  and  the  fishers  were  obliged  to 
follow  them  into  the  open  sea,  where  both  the  cap- 
ture and  transportation  became  more  and  more 
difficult.  These  mighty  animals  relinquished  part 
after  part  of  their  native  deeps,  and  were  everywhere 
compelled  to  give  way  before  a  destroying  power 
which  they  could  not  otherwise  escape.  They 
sought  their  final  refuge  near  that  great  bank  of  ice 
which  forms  the  western  boundary  of  the  Whale- 
fishers'  Bight  in  the  Greenland  sea.  Hither  it 
behooved  the  pursuers  to  follow ;  where,  mooring 
themselves  to  frozen  fields,  they  watched  with  no 
small  hazard  the  movements  of  their  prey.  The 
expense  and  delay  of  conveying  their  prizes,  some- 
times 2000  miles,  to  the  harbour  of  Smeerenberg, 
becoming  very  inconvenient,  arrangements  were 
made,  by  which  the  whale,  being  fastened  to  the 
sides  of  the  ship,  wnsjlensed,  or  cleared  of  its  blub- 
ber and  bone ;  after  which  the  useless  carcass  was 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


305 


consigned  to  the  deep.  The  village  then  lost  every 
foundation  on  which  its  prosperity  had  rested.  The 
stores,  furnaces,  capacious  vessels,  and  numerous 
utensils  there  deposited,  were  carried  away ;  hence 
it  is  now  difficult  to  trace  the  spot  on  which  stood 
that  once  flourishing  settlement.  At  the  same  time, 
the  trade,  become  thus  arduous  and  perilous,  and 
yielding  reduced  profits,  was  no  longer  advantageous 
to  an  exclusive  body.  That  once  prosperous  com- 
pany was  accordingly  dissolved,  and  the  fishery 
thrown  open  to  all  who  chose  to  engage  in  it :  and 
such  is  the  activity  of  individual  enterprise,  that, 
even  under  a  diminished  prospect  of  success,  a 
greater  number  of  ships  are  now  employed  than  ever 
was  fitted  out  from  the  ports  of  Holland. 

The  English  meantime  did  not  remain  altogether 
unconcerned  spectators  of  this  immense  prosperity 
on  the  part  of  their  neighbours.  After  the  Muscovy 
Company  was  off  the  field,  another  was  instituted, 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Company  of  Merchants  of 
London  trading  to  Greenland."  They  subscribed  a 
capital  of  40,000/.  which  was  increased  successively 
to  82,000/.  though  only  45,000/.  was  actually,  paid. 
This  undertaking  proved  most  disastrous.  In  nine 
years  the  entire  capital  was  lost,  and  the  concern 
broken  up.  Its  fall  is  traced  by  Elking  to  the 
usual  loose  and  wasteful  management  incident  to 
large  companies  carrying  on  their  concerns  by  un- 
interested agents.  Men  were  employed  for  masters 
who  were  entirely  unacquainted  with  the  business : 
they  were  paid  by  a  fixed  salary  instead  of  receiving 
a  share  of  the  produce ;  hence  they  used  to  spend 
long  intervals  on  shore,  amusing  themselves  with 
hunting  deer,  and  appropriating  to  their  own  use  the 
fruits  of  the  chase.  The  wreck  of  the  Company's 
last  ship,  after  the  capture  of  eleven  whales,  preci- 
pitated their  ruin. 

The  legislature,  mortified  that  this  trade,  which 
was  enriching  the  neighbouring  nations,  should  prove 

Cod 


ii  I- 


II  ■* 


f  :■•  I  i 


306 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


im 


I  t ' 


i'\ 


.  t    ! 


.^V 


lilt:' 


so  fruitless  in  the  hands  of  Britons,  redoubled  their 
encouragements,  and  exempted  from  all  duty  the 
produce  of  the  national  whale-fisheries.  Thus  fa- 
voured, and  stimulated  by  the  representations  of  Mr. 
Elking,  the  South  Sea  Company  determined  to  em- 
bark in  this  pursuit  a  large  proportion  of  their  capital. 
In  1725  they  built  twelve  large  and  strong  vessels, 
fully  equipped  with  cordage,  casks,  and  fishing 
implements.  These  ships  went  out  in  spring,  and 
returned  with  twenty-five  fish,  which  did  not  quite 
pay  the  expense  of  equipment ;  however,  this,  upon 
the  whole,  was  thought  not  a  bad  beginning,  and 
gave  hopes  of  improvement,  which  were  far  from 
being  fulfilled.  In  1730  twenty-two  ships  were  sent 
out,  and  returned  with  only  twelve  whales,  so  that  a 
loss  was  incurred  in  that  year  of  nearly  9000/.  The 
following  season  was  little  better ;  and  the  Company, 
finding  that  in  eiffht  years  they  had  expended  an 
immense  sum,  without  the  least  prospect  of  repay- 
ment or  profit,  threw  up  the  trade  altogether. 

Notwithstanding  these  repeated  and  signal  failures, 
the  British  government  did  not  relax  their  zeal.  In 
1732  a  bounty  of  twenty  shillings  per  ton  was  granted 
to  every  ship  exceeding  200  tons  employed  in  the 
whale-fishery.  Several  private  individuals  were  thus 
induced  to  embark  in  the  trade,  and  with  tolerable 
success ;  yet  there  being  still  no  appearance  of  its 
rising  to  any  national  importance,  the  bounty  was 
extended,  in  1749,  to  forty  shillings.  This  produced 
at  length  the  desired  effect.  In  1752  the  ships  sent 
out  amounted  to  forty  sail,  including  several  from 
Scotland,  whose  merchants  in  1750  had  begun  to 
participate  in  the  trade.  In  1755  they  had  increased 
to  eighty-two  sail ;  and  in  the  next  twenty  years  the 
trade  continued  in  a  varying  but  generally  prosperous 
state.  Some  regulations  were  introduced  with  the 
view  of  making  it  more  efllcient  as  a  nursery  of 
seamen ;  and  in  1769  it  was  considered  firmly  esta- 
blished* after  the  nation  had  paid  in  bounties  upwards 


ifi 


NORTliERN    WHALE-FISHERY. 


307 


ibled  their 
[  duty  the 
Thus  fa- 
ons  of  Mr. 
ied  to  em- 
eir  capital. 
iig  vessels, 
nd   fishing 
spring,  and 
I  not  quite 
,  this,  upon 
inning,  and 
e  far  from 
I  were  sent 
s,  so  that  a 
)000/.   The 
1  Company, 
:pended  an 
t  of  repay- 

^al  failures, 

r  zeal.    In 

vas  granted 

yed  in  the 

s  were  thus 

tolerable 

ance  of  its 

)0unty  was 

s  produced 

ships  sent 

veral  from 

begun  to 

i  increased 

y  years  the 

prosperous 

with  the 

nursery  of 

irmly  esta- 

B8  upwards 


d 


of,  600,000/.  then  reckoned  an  enormous  sum.  These 
-considerations  induced  the  legislature,  in  1777,  to 
reduce  the  rate  to  thirty  shillings;  but  the  fishery 
could  not  support  itself  on  this  encouragement,  and 
4he  vessels  employed  fell,  between  tlie  years  1775 
and  1781,  from  105  to  39.  The  allowanc^e  of  forty 
shillings  being  restored,  it  regained  its  full  prosperity, 
which  soon  appeared  so  steady  as  to  admit  the 
reduction  of  the  bounty;  the  total  amount  of  which, 
paid  down  to  1786,  had  not  fallen  short  of  1,266,000/. 
It  was  therefore  reduced  in  1787  to  30s. ;  in  1792  to 
255. ;  and  in  1795  to  20s.  Even  under  this  lowest 
grant  the  fishery  increased ;  able  and  intelligent 
whale-captains  were  fonned,  and  Britain  soon  out- 
stripped all  other  nations  in  a  pursuit  in  which  hei 
first  steps  had  been  so  tardy.  Another  circumstance 
doubtless  much  favoured  this  progress.  The  Dutch 
having  imprudently  admitted  the  French  into  theii 
territory,  were  soon  absorbed  into  the  destructive 
vortex  of  that  revolutionary  power.  Involved  in 
her  long  war  with  the  mistress  of  the  seas,  and 
subjected  to  the  anti-commercial  policy  of  Na- 
poleon, Holland  saw  all  her  fisheries,  with  every 
other  branch  of  her  foreign  commerce,  completely 
annihilated,  and  British  vessels  enjoying  the  undis- 
turbed possession  of  the  northern  seas.  Peace,  in- 
deed, at  length  re-opened  to  that  nation  all  these 
channels  of  industry;  but  during  a  suspension  of 
twenty  years  their  habits  were  broken,  their  con 
nexions  dissolved,  their  most  skilful  and  intrepid 
whale-fishers  had  died  out;  while  Britain,  which 
had  been  in  a  state  of  constant  activity  and  im- 

Srovement,  was  now  every  way  an  overmatch  for 
er  formerly  successful  rival. 
Before  proceeding  to  describe  the  operations  of 
the  whale-fishery,  it  may  be  proper  to  mention  some 
attempts  which,  with  a  view  to  its  more  eflTectual 
prosecution,  were  made  to  establish  colonies  on  thd 
dreary  shores  of  the  Polar  sea. 


i    > 


^ 


■l—lliiI'niYllT"-"ri1i"°''----'  --■- 


f*y 


1r!  i 


Ih 


I 


) 


i  ■ 


308 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY 


In  1633  the  Dutch  planned  a  settlement  on  the 
northern  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  when  seven  sailors 
volunteered  for  this  arduous  undertaking.  On  the 
30th  August  the  fleet  left  them  in  North  Bay,  where 
they  not  only  undertook  to  live  during  the  winter, 
but  even  to  provide  themselves  with  fresh  provisions. 
They  visited  all  the  surrounding  shores,  took  three 
reindeer  and  a  number  of  sea -swallows,  collecting 
also  a  great  quantity  of  a  species  of  watercress. 
Their  great  ambition  was  to  catch  a  whale ;  but, 
though  tantalized  by  the  sight  of  many,  all  tJieir 
attempts  failed.  Even  one  found  dead  and  fresh  on 
the  margin  of  the  sea  was  floated  out  by  the  tide  be- 
fore they  could  secure  it. 

It  was  on  the  3d  October  that  the  extreme  cold 
began  to  be  felt,  accompanied  by  numerous  flights 
of  birds  passing  to  the  southward.  On  the  13th  one 
of  the  casks  of  beer  was  frozen  three  inches  thick. 
The  winterers  were  obliged  to  break  the  ice  in  pieces, 
and  thaw  it  before  the  fire,  when  it  made  a  very  un- 
palatable liquor.  On  the  15th,  having  ascended  one 
of  the  neighbouring  mountains  they  could  see  only 
a  small  portion  of  the  sun's  disk  on  the  verge  of  the 
horizon,  and  in  a  few  days  it  entirely  disappeared ; 
there  was  still  a  faint  twilight  Of  eight  hours,  which 
was  soon  reduced  to  five,  and  became  every  day 
shorter  and  shorter.  In  November  the  cold  increased 
to  the  utmost  pitch :  they  could  not  sleep  in  their 
beds,  but  were  obliged  either  to  crouch  over  the  fire, 
or ;  an  full  speed  through  the  hut,  to  keep  up  the 
vital  energy.  At  length  they  ranged  all  their  couches 
round  the  fireplace  and  a  stove,  yet  still  found  it  ne- 
cessary to  lay  themselves  down  between  the  stove 
and  the  fire,  holding  their  feet  to  the  very  embers. 
On  the  20th  December  they  saw  a  very  bright  illu- 
mination, resembling  the  Aurora  Borealis,  over  the 
southern  part  of  the  sky.  They  could  not,  however, 
believe  it  to  be  the  real  Aurora,  which  they  after- 
ward saw  of  peculiar  splendour  in  its  proper  place. 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


309 


lent  on  the 
ven  sailors 
On  the 
Bay,  where 
the  winter, 
provisions. 
,  took  three 
(,  collecting 
watercress, 
ivhale ;  but, 
y,  all  tneir 
nd  fresh  on 
the  tide  be- 

:treme  cold 
rous  flights 
he  13th  one 
iches  thick. 

e  in  pieces, 
^  a  very  un- 
icended  one 
d  see  only 
erge  of  the 
isappeared ; 
ours,  which 

every  day 
id  increased 
lep  in  their 
ver  the  fire, 
eep  up  the 
eir  couches 
bund  it  ne- 
1  the  stove 
jry  embers, 
bright  illu- 
8,  over  the 
•t,  however, 
they  after- 
oper  place. 


Night  and  winter  continued  in  their  utmost  intensity 
till  the  22d  January,  when  they  again  enjoyed  a  twi- 
light of  six  hours ;  at  midday  of  the  26tli  there  way 
no  longer  a  star  to  be  seen;  but  it  was  the  22d 
February  ere,  from  a  mountain-top,  they  could  de  5cry 
any  portion  of  the  sun's  disk.  Throughout  the  whole 
period  they  had  dreadful  contests  to  maintain  with 
the  Polar  bear.  On  the  3d  March  one  of  these  ani- 
mals had  received  two  balls  in  the  throat,  which  he 
was  endeavouring  to  pluck  out  with  his  paws,  when 
the  whole  seven  sailors  rushed  on  him  with  their 
lances.  The  bear  dashed  at  one  of  them,  tore  the 
lance  from  his  hand,  and  threw  him  on  the  ground : 
but  as  the  animal  was  about  to  devour  his  victim, 
another  sailor  struck  and  obliged  him  to  quit  his  hold ; 
afterward,  however,  though  pursued  by  all  the  seven, 
he  plunged  into  the  sea  and  escaped. 

Thus  these  seven  persons  passed  through  this  hard 
winter  without  any  severe  attack  of  scurvy ;  and  on 
the  27th  May  they  were  overjoyed  by  the  view  of  a 
boat,  which  conveyed  them  to  a  neighbouring  bay, 
where  seven  Dutch  ships  had  assembled  for  the 
fishery.  The  active  life  led  by  these  seamen  was 
apparently  the  chief  cause  by  which  their  health  was 
so  well  preserved. 

The  success  of  this  experiment  induced  the  Dutch 
Company  to  repeat  the  attempt  in  the  following  year, 
when  seven  other  sailors,  well  furnished  with  victuals, 
and  apparently  with  every  means  of  withstanding 
the  rigour  of  the  climate,  undertook  to  winter  in 
Spitzbergen.    They  appear,  however,  to  have  been 
of  a  less  active  disposition  than  their  predecessors, 
and  failed  in  every  attempt  to  procure  fresh  victuals. 
The  sun  having  quitted  them  on  the  20th  October, 
they  shut  themselves  up  in  their  hut,  out  of  which 
they  scarcely  ever  stirred.    li!  a  few  weeks  they  were 
attacked  by  scurvy  under  its  most  malignant  form, 
which,  amid  this  recluse  life,  and  in  the  absence  of 
fresh  meat  and  vegetables,  assumed  continually  a 


s;  ; 


\ 


lit. 


»  i 


I 


J)^ 


810 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHER  IT. 


more  alarming  13^)6,  till  three  died,  whose  bodies  the 
others  with  difficulty  enclosed  in  coffins.    The  sur- 
tivors  killed  a  dog  and  a  fox,  which  afforded  some 
relief,  but  not  enough  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the 
malady.    The  bears  began  to  approach  the  hut,  and 
would  have  been  a  blessing,  had  the  men  retained 
strength  either  to  shoot  the  animals  or  to  drag  home 
the  carcass.    Their  mouths  became  ulcerated ;  they 
were  unable  to  chew  their  biscuit ;  and  only  Jerome 
Carloen  had  power  to  rise  from  bed  and  kindle  a  fire. 
The  sun  appeared  on  the  24th  February ;  but  they 
could  no  longer  derive  aid  from  this  benignant  lumi- 
nary.   The  last  entry  in  their  journal  is  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms : — "  We  are  all  four  stretched  on  our 
beds,  and  are  still  alive,  and  would  eat  willingly,  if 
any  one  of  us  were  able  to  rise  and  light  afire.    We 
implore  the  Almighty,  with  folded  hands,  to  deliver 
us  from  this  life,  which  it  is  impossible  to  prolong 
without  food  or  any  thing  to  warm  our  frozen  limbs. 
None  of  us  can  help  the  other,  each  must  support  his 
own  misery." — Early  in  spring  the  fishing  vessels 
arrived,  and  a  party  hastened  to  the  hut.    They  found 
it  so  fast  closeo,  that  an  entrance  could  only  be 
effected  by  opening   the   roof.    They  found  it  a 
tomb.    Three  of  the  men  were  enclosed  in  the  coffins 
which  had  been  framed  for  them ;  the  other  four  lay 
dead,  two  in  their  beds,  and  two  on  a  piece  of  sail 
spread  on  the  floor.    These  last  had  perished  in  con- 
sequence of  mere  inability  to  make  the  effort  neces- 
saiy  for  lifting  and  dressing  the  food ;  and  they  had 
suffered  convulsions  so  dreadful,  that  their  knees  and 
chin  had  come  into  contact,  and  their  bodies  resem- 
bled a  rounded  block. 

The  Dutch  about  the  same  time  made  an  attempt 
to  establish  a  colony  on  the  island  of  Jan  Mayen,  but 
with  a  result  equally  fatal.  The  journal  of  the  un- 
fortunate seamen  contains  little  except  a  very  exact 
register  of  the  weather. 
No  farther  attempts  were  made  at  that  time  to  co- 


.A-»j 


m 


;e  bodies  the 
I.  The  sur- 
brded  some 
rress  of  the 
;he  hut,  and 
en  retained 

0  drag  home 
irated;  they 
)nly  Jerome 
kindle  a  fire, 
y;  but  they 
ignant  lumi- 
}  in  the  fol- 
;hed  on  our 
willingly,  if 
;  a  fire.  We 
s,  to  deliver 
s  to  prolong 
rozen  limbs. 
t  support  his 
[ling  vessels 

They  found 
uld  only  be 

found  it  a 
n  the  coffins 
her  four  lay 
iece  of  sail 
shed  in  con- 
eflfort  neces- 
nd  they  had 
ir  knees  and 
idies  reseni- 

an  attempt 

1  Mayen,  but 
[  of  the  un- 
i  very  exact 

t  time  to  CO- 


NOR THERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


311 


Ionize  Spitzbergen.  The  next  instance  of  wintering 
on  those  dreary  shores  arose  from  necessity  and  dis- 
aster. A  Russian  vessel,  which  had  sailed  from  Arch- 
angel for  the  whale-fishery  in  1743,  being  driven  by 
the  wind  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Spitzbergen,  found 
itself  beset  amid  floating  ice  without  hope  of  deliver- 
ance. One  of  the  party  recollected  that  a  hut  had 
been  erected  on  this  coast  by  some  of  his  countrymen, 
under  the  apprehension  of  being  obliged  to  spend  the 
winter  there.  He  and  three  others  set  out  to  dis- 
cover the  place.  With  much  difliculty  they  reached 
the  shore,  leaping  from  fragment  to  fragment  of 
moving  ice ;  then,  spreading  themselves  in  different 
directions,  they  found  the  cottage,  which,  though 
ruinous,  afforded  shelter  for  the  night.  Early  in  the 
morning  they  hastened  to  the  shore,  to  convey  to  their 
comrades  this  happy  intelligence.  But  what  must 
have  been  their  horror,  when  they  saw  only  a  vast 
open  sea,  without  a  vestige  of  the  ship,  or  even  of  the 
numerous  icebergs  which  had  been  tossing  through 
the  waves !  A  violent  gale  had  dispersed  them  all, 
and  apparently  also  sunk  the  vessel,  which  was  never 
heard  of  more. 

These  four  unfortunate  seamen,  abandoned  on 
this  dreadful  shore,  having  the  long  winter  to  pass 
without  food,  or  arms  and  implements  to  procure  any, 
did  not,  however,  give  Avay  to  despair.  They  had  a 
gun  with  which  they  shot  twelve  deer :  then  their 
ammunition  failed;  but  some  pieces  of  iron  were 
found  on  the  shore,  which  they  contrived  to  fashion 
into  pikes.  At  the  moment  when  their  stock  of  ve- 
nison was  nearly  exhausted,  they  found  occasion  to 
employ  these  weapons  against  a  Polar  bear  by  which 
they  were  assailed.  The  animal,  being  vanquished 
and  killed  after  a  formidable  struggle,  supplied  for 
the  present  all  their  wants.  His  flesh  was  food,  his 
skin  clothing,  his  entrails,  duly  prepared,  furnished 
the  string,  which  alone  had  Seen  wanting  to  com- 
plete a  bow.    With  that  instrument  they  were  more 


i 

»' 


1:1 


(  I' 


ii 
i 


'■    ( 


312 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


than  a  match  for  the  reindeer  and  the  Arctic  fox, 
with  the  spoils  of  which  they  filled  both  their  pantrj^ 
and  their  wardrobe ;  and  thenceforth  they  avoided, 
unless  in  cases  of  necessity,  the  encounter  of  the 
bear.  Being  destitute  of  cooking  utensils,  they 
were  obliged  to  devour  the  food  nearly  raw — dried 
either  by  suspension  in  the  smoke  during  the  long 
winter,  or  by  exposure  to  the  heat  of  the  sun  during 
the  short  summer.  Yet  this  regular  supply  of  fresh 
meat,  and,  above  all,  the  constant  exercise  to  which 
hecessity  prompted,  enabled  them  to  preserve  their 
health  entire  during  six  years,  in  which  they  looked 
in  vain  for  deliverance.  In  this  time  they  killed  10 
bears,  250  reindeer,  and  a  multitude  of  foxes.  At 
the  end  of  the  six  years  one  of  them  died,  when  the 
three  survivors  sunk  into  despondence,  giving  up  all 
hopes  of  relief,  and  looking  forward  to  the  moment 
when  the  last  of  them  would  become  the  prey  of 
the  bears.  Suddenly,  on  the  15th  August,  1749,  they 
descried  a  vessel  at  sea.  They  lighted  fires  on  the 
heights,  hoisted  a  flag  formed  of  reindeer  skins,  and 
were  at  length  discovered  by  the  ship,  which  proved 
to  belong  to  their  native  country.  They  loaded  her 
with  such  a  quantity  of  skins  and  lard  as  enabled 
them  to  pay  eighty  rubles  for  their  passage,  and  af- 
terward to  make  a  profitable  voyage. 

The  example  thus  involuntarily  set  by  these  Rus- 
sian sailors  has  been  followed,  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent by  their  countrymen,  some  of  whom  have  since 
regularly  wintered  in  huts  on  the  Spitzbergen  coast, 
and  employed  themselves  in  chasing  the  walrus  and 
seal  along  the  shore,  the  deer  and  Arctic  fox  in  the 
interior.  They  are  constantly  engaged  in  hunting, 
unless  when  interrupted  by  tempest;  and,  even  when 
the  hut  is  blocked  up  with  snow,  they  find  their  way 
out  by  the  chimney.  They  have  a  reserve  of  salt 
provisions;  but  as  much  as  possible  subsist  on  the 
flesh  and  drink  the  warm  blood  of  the  reindeer,  dig- 
ging under  the  snow  for  cochlearia,  sorrel,  and  otliei 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


3ld 


, 


Arctic  fox, 
their  pantiy 
ey  avoided, 
inter  of  the 
;nsils,  they 
raw — dried 
ing  the  long 
J  sun  during 
>ply  of  fresh 
ise  to  which 
eserve  their 
they  looked 
ley  killed  10 
!"  foxes.  At 
d,  when  the 
j^iving  up  all 
the  moment 
the  prey  of 
t,  1749,  they 
fires  on  the 
ir  skins,  and 
hich  proved 
loaded  her 
as  enabled 
age,  and  af- 

these  Rus- 
derable  ex- 
have  since 
ergen  coast, 
walrus  and 
fox  in  the 
in  hunting, 
even  when 
d  their  way 
erve  of  salt 
)sist  on  the 
iindeei,  dig- 
l,  and  otlier 


plants  that  act  as  antidotes  to  scurvy.  By  this  regi- 
men they  generally  preserve  their  health  completely 
uninjured,  though  the  British  seamen  employed  in 
whale-fishing  have  :  ^casionally  found  the  dead  body 
of  a  Russian  who  had  fallen  a  victim  to  this  dread- 
ful malady. 

It  is  now  time  to  give  a  general  view  of  the  mode 
of  catching  whales  practised  by  the  two  great  fish- 
ing nations  of  the  present  day,  the  British  and  the 
Dutch. 

The  first  object  is  to  fit  out  a  ship  suited  to  the 
trade.    While  the  fishery  was  carried  on  in  bays,  or 
on  the  exterior  margin  of  icy  fields,  very  slight  fa- 
brics were  suflicient ;  but  now  that  the  vessels  depart 
early  in  the  season,  and  push  into  the  very  heart  of 
the  northern  ices,  they  are  liable  every  moment  to 
the  most  severe  shocks  and  concussions.    The  ship, 
therefore,  must  be  constructed  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  possess  a  peculiar  degree  of  strength.    Its  ex- 
posed parts  are  secured  with  double  or  even  treble 
timbers ;  while  it  is  fortified,  as  the  expression  is, 
externally  with  iron  plates,  and  internally  with  stan- 
chions and  cross-bars,  so  disposed  as  to  Cause  the 
pressure  on  any  one  part  to  bear  upon  and  be  supported 
by  the  whole  fabric.    Mr.  Scoresby  recommends  the 
dimension  of  350  tons  as  the  most  eligible.    A  ship 
of  this  size  is  sometimes  filled ;  and  the  number  of 
men  required  for  its  navigation,  being  also  necessary 
for  manning  the  boats  employed  in  the  fishery,  could 
not  be  reduced  even  in  a  much  smaller  vessel.    A 
larger  tonnage  than  350,  being  scarcely  ever  filled, 
involves  the  proprietor  in  useless  extra  expense. 
The  Dutch  are  of  opinion,  that  the  vessels  destined 
for  this  fishery  should  be  112  feet  long,  29  broad,  and 
12  deep,  carrying  seven  boats,  and  from  forty  to  fifty 
seamen.    One  of  the  most  essential  particulars  is 
the  crow's  nest,  a  species  of  sentry-box  made  of 
canvass  or  light  wood,  pitched  on  the  main-topmast, 
or  top-gallantmast  head.    This  is  the  post  of  ho- 

Dd 


:\ 


i  ) 


I 

I  • 

(i 

rr- 

'i 

1' 

■*^ 

■I 

V  , 

1 

1 

i 


314 


NORTHERN    WHALE-FISHERY. 


fi  ( 


nour,  and  also  of  severe  cold,  where  the  master  often 
sits  for  hours  in  a  temperature  thirty  or  forty  degrees 
below  the  freezing-point,  and  whence  he  can  descry 
all  the  movements  of  the  surrounding  seas  and  ice, 
and  give  directions  accordingly.  He  is  provided 
with  a  telescope,  a  speaking-trumpet;  and  a  rifle,  with 
which  he  can  sometimes  strike  a  narwal,  as  it  floats 
around  the  ship. 

The  whaling  vessels  usually  take  their  departure 
in  such  time  as  to  leave  the  Shetland  Isles  about 
the  beginning  of  April ;  and  before  the  end  of  the 
month  arrive  within  the  Polar  seas.  It  was  long 
customary  to  spend  a  few  weeks  at  what  is  called 
the  Seafisher's  Bight,  extending  along  the  coast  of 
Greenland,  ere  they  pushed  into  those  more  northern 
waters,  where,  amid  fields  and  mountains  of  ice,  the 
powerful  and  precious  mystiaiiis  is  tossing ;  but  in 
later  times,  it  has  become  usuwl  to  sail  at  once  into 
that  centre  of  danger  and  enterprise. 

As  soon  as  they  have  anived  in  those  seas  which 
are  the  haunt  of  the  whale,  the  crew  must  be  every 
moment  on  the  alert,  keeping  watch  day  and  night. 
The  seven  boats  are  kept  hanging  by  the  sides  of  the 
ship, ready  to  be  launched  in  a  few  minutes;  and, 
where  the  state  of  the  sea  admits,  one  of  them  is 
usually  manned  and  afloat.  These  boats  are  from 
25  to  28  feet  long,  about  5^  feet  broad,  and  constructed 
with  a  special  view  to  lightness,  buoyancy,  and  easy 
steerage.  The  captain  or  some  principal  oflicer, 
seated  in  the  crow's  nest,  surveys  the  waters  to  a 
great  distance,  and  the  instant  he  sees  the  back  of 
the  huge  animal,  which  they  seek  to  attack,  emerging 
from  the  waves,  gives  notice  to  the  watch  who  are 
stationed  on  deck  ;  part  of  whom  leap  into  a  boat, 
which  is  instantly  lowered  down,  and  followed  by  a 
second,  if  the  fish  be  a  large  one.  Each  of  the  boats 
has  a  harpooner,  and  one  or  two  subordinate  oflicers, 
and  is  provided  with  an  immense  quantity  of  rope 
coiled  together  and  stowed  in  different  quarters  of 


[laster  often 
)rty  degrees 
can  descry 
;as  and  ice, 
is  provided 
[  a  rifle,  with 
,  as  it  floats 

ir  departure 
Isles  about 
5  end  of  the 
[t  was  long 
lat  is  called 
the  coast  of 
ore  northern 
[IS  of  ice,  the 
sing;  but  in 
at  once  into 

e  seas  which 
ustbe  every 
y  and  night. 
3  sides  of  the 
linutes;  and, 
J  of  them  is 
ats  are  from 
d  constructed 
acy,  and  easy 
icipal  oflUcer, 
1  waters  to  a 
J  the  back  of 
ick,  emerging 
atch  who  are 
3  into  a  boat, 
Dllowed  by  a 
1  of  the  boats 
inate  oflicers, 
mtity  of  rope 
u  quarters  of 


NORTHERN   WHALE-nSHERY. 


315 


2  Hand  Harpoon.  2.  Pricker.  3.  Blublier  Spade. 

4.  Gun  Harpoon.  5.  Lance. 


i  ! 


,1 

if 


I    'I 


■!»  1 


31(3 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


Ji  ^ 


it,  the  several  parts  being  spliced  together,  so  as  to 
form  a  continued  line,  usually  exceeding  four  thou- 
sand feet  in  length.  To  the  end  is  attached  the  har- 
poon {Jig'  1),  an  instrument  formed,  not  to  pierce 
and  kill  the  animal,  but,  by  entering  and  remaining 
fixed  in  the  body,  to  prevent  its  escape.  One  of  the 
boats  is  now  rowed  towards  the  whale  in  the  deepest 
silence,  cautiously  avoiding  to  give  an  alarm,  of 
which  he  is  very  susceptible.  Sometimes  a  circui- 
tous route  is  adopted  in  order  to  attack  him  from  be- 
hind. Having  approached  as  near  as  is  consistent 
with  safety,  the  harpooner  darts  his  instrument  into 
the  back  of  the  monster.*  This  is  a  critical  mo- 
ment ;  for  when  this  mighty  animal  feels  himself 
struck,  he  often  throws  himself  into  violent  convul- 
sive movements,  vibrating  in  the  air  his  tremendous 
tail,  one  lash  of  which  is  sufficient  to  dash  a  boat  in 
pieces.  More  commonly,  however,  he  plunges  with 
rapid  flight  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  or  beneath  the 
thickest  fields  and  mountains  of  ice.  While  he  is 
thus  moving  at  the  rate  usually  of  eight  or  ten  miles 
an  hour,  the  utmost  diligence  must  be  used  that  the 
line  to  which  the  harpoon  is  attached  may  run  off 
smoothly  and  readily  along  with  him.  Should  it  be 
entangled  for  a  moment,  the  strength  of  the  whale 
is  such,  that  he  would  draw  the  boat  and  crew  after 
him  under  the  waves.  The  first  boat  ought  to  be 
quickly  followed  up  by  a  second  to  supply  more  line 
when  the  first  is  run  out,  which  often  takes  place  in 
eight  or  ten  minutes.  When  the  crew  of  a  boat  see 
the  line  in  danger  of  being  all  run  off,  they  hold  up 
one,  two,  or  three  oars,  to  intimate  their  pressing 
need  of  a  supply.  At  the  same  time  they  turn  the 
rope  once  or  twice  round  a  kind  of  post  called  the 
bollard,  by  which  the  motion  of  the  line  and  the  ca- 
reer of  the  animal  are  somewhat  retarded.    This, 

*  The  harpoon  is  sometimes  discharged  from  a  peculiar  species  or 
fun,  in  which  case  the  form  fig.  \  is  employed ;  but  this  mode  has  not 
come  into  very  general  use. 


,  so  as  to 
four  thou- 
d  the  bar- 
to  pierce 
remaining 
One  of  the 
he  deepest 
alarm,  of 
!S  a  circui- 
m  from  be- 
consistent 
ument  into 
ritical  mo- 
Is  himself 
3nt  convul- 
remendous 
ih  a  boat  in 
unges  with 
beneath  the 
Vhile  he  is 
)r  ten  miles 
;ed  that  the 
lay  run  off 
mould  it  be 
the  whale 
crew  after 
lUght  to  be 
more  line 
|es  place  in 
a  boat  see 
ley  hold  up 
ir  pressing 
y  turn  the 
called  the 
^nd  the  ca- 
led.    This, 

jliar  species  of 
mode  has  not 


NORTHERN    WHALE-FISHERY. 


317 


however,  is  a  delicate  operation,  which  brings  the 
side  of  the  boat  down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  water, 
and  if  the  rope  is  drawn  at  all  too  tight,  may  sink  it 
altogether.  Wliile  the  line  is  whirling  round  the 
bollard,  the  friction  is  so  violent,  that  the  har- 
pooner  is  enveloped  in  smoke,  and  water  must  be 
constantly  poured  on  to  prevent  it  from  catching 
fire.  When,  after  all,  no  aid  arrives,  and  the  crew 
find  that  the  line  must  run  out,  they  have  only  one 
resource,-— they  cut  it,  losing  thereby  not  only 
the  whale,  but  the  harpoon  and  all  the  ropes  of  the 
boat. 

When  the  whale  is  first  struck  and  plunges  into 
the  waves,  the  boat's  crew  elevate  a  flag  as  a  signul 
to  the  watch  on  deck,  who  give  the  alarm  to  those 
asleep  below,  by  stamping  violently  on  the  deck,  and 
crying  aloud — "  A  Jail !  a  fall  /"  (Dutch,  vaU  express- 
ing tlie  precipitate  haste  with  which  the  sailors 
throw  themselves  into  the  boats.)  On  this  notice 
they  do  not  allow  themselves  time  to  dress,  but  rush 
out  in  their  sleeping-shirts  or  drawers  into  an  atmos- 
phere, the  temperature  of  which  is  often  below  zero, 
carrying  along  with  them  their  clothing  in  a  bundh% 
and  trusting  to  make  their  toilette  in  the  interval  of 
manning  and  pushing  off  the  boats.  Such  is  the 
tumult  at  this  moment,  that  young  mariners  have 
been  known  to  raise  cries  of  fear,  thinking  the  sliip 
was  going  down. 

The  period  during  which  a  wounded  whale  re- 
mains under  water  is  various,  but  is  averaged  by  Mr. 
Scoresby  at  about  half  an  hour.  Then,  pressed  by 
the  necessity  of  respiration,  he  appears  above,  often 
considerably  distant  from  the  spot  where  he  was  har- 
pooned, and  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion,  which 
the  same  ingenious  writer  ascribes  to  the  severe 
pressure  that  he  has  endured  when  placed  beneath  a 
column  of  water  700  or  800  fathoms  deep.  All  the 
boats  have  meantime  been  spreading  themselves  in 
various  directions,  that  one  at  least  may  be  within  a 

Dd2 


f    ,- 


!     ! 


e     • 


V^ 


It  i 


:f 


•^ 


318 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


Us 


1  ( 


f       ) 


*! 


start,  as  it  is  called,  or  about  200  yards  of  the  point 
of  his  rising,  at  which  distance  they  can  easily  reach 
and  pierce  him  with  one  or  two  more  harpoons  before 
he  again  descends,  as  he  usually  does  for  a  few 
minutes.  On  his  reappearance  a  general  attack  is 
made  with  lances  {fig.  5),  which  are  struck  as  deep 
as  possible,  to  reacn  and  penetrate  the  vital  parts. 
Blood  mixed  with  oil  streams  copiously  from  his 
wounds  and  from  the  blow-holes,  dying  the  sea  to 
a  great  distance,  and  sprinkling,  and  sometimes 
drenching  the  boats  and  crews.  The  animal  now 
becomes  more  and  more  exhausted;  but,  at  the 
approach  of  his  dissolution,  he  often  makes  a  con- 
vulsive and  energetic  struggle,  rearing  his  tail  high 
in  the  air,  and  whirling  it  with  a  noise  which  is  heard 
at  the  distance  of  several  miles.  At  length,  quite 
overpowered  and  exhausted,  he  lays  himself  on  his 
side  or  back,  and  expires.  The  flag  is  then  taken 
down,  and  three  loud  huzzas  raised  from  the  sur- 
rounding boats.  No  time  is  lost  in  piercing  the  tail 
with  two  holes,  through  which  ropes  are  passed, 
which,  being  fastened  to  the  boats,  drag  the  fish  to 
the  vessel  amid  shouts  of  joy. 

The  whale  being  thus  caught  and  secured  to  the 
sides  of  the  ship,  the  next  operation  is  that  oiflens' 
ingy  or  extracting  the  blubber  and  whalebone.  This, 
if  the  full  strength  of  the  ship  be  put  upon  it,  may 
be  executed  in  about  four  hours,  though  a  much 
longer  time  is  often  employed.  The  captain  goes 
round  and  gives  a  dram  to  each  seaman,  with  double 
allowance  to  important  personages  called  the  kings 
of  the  blubber  (Dutch  speck-koning),  whose  office  it 
is  to  receive  that  precious  commodity,  and  stow  it 
in  the  hold.  Another  high  functionary,  called  the 
specksioneer,  has  the  direction  of  all  the  cutting 
operations.  The  first  step  is  to  form  round  the  fish, 
between  the  neck  and  the  fins,  a  circle  called  the 
kent,  around  which  all  proceedings  are  to  be  con- 
ducted.   To  it  is  £astened  a  machinery  of  blocks, 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


319 


'  the  point 
isily  reach 
ons  before 
for  a  few 
L  attack  is 
ck  as  deep 
irital  parts, 
r  from  his 
the  sea  to 
sometimes 
iiimal  now 
lut,  at  the 
ikes  a  con- 
is  tail  high 
ch  is  heard 
ngth,  quite 
self  on  his 
then  taken 
m  the  sur- 
ing  the  tail 
ire  passed, 
the  fish  to 

red  to  the 

at  oifleiis- 

)ne.   This, 

ion  it,  may 

rh  a  much 

tain  goes 

ith  double 

the  kings 

e  office  it 

nd  stow  it 

called  the 

e  cutting 

d  the  fish, 

ailed  the 

be  con- 

f  blocks, 


called  the  kent-purchase,  by  which,  with  the  aid  of 
a  windlass,  the  body  of  the  whale  can  be  turned  on 
all  sides.  The  harpooners  then,  under  the  speck- 
sioneer's  direction,  begin  with  a  kind  of  spade  {fig, 
3),  and  with  huge  knives,  to  make  long  parallel  cuts 
from  end  to  end,  which  are  divided  by  cross-cuts  into 
pieces  of  about  half  a  ton.  These  are  conveyed  on 
deck,  and,  being  reduced  into  smaller  portions,  are 
received  by  two  kings,  who  stow  them  in  the  hold. 
Finally,  being  by  other  processes  still  farther  divided, 
it  is  received  into  casks,  and  the  packing  completed 
by  the  instrument  No.  2.  As  soon  as  the  cutting 
officers  have  cleared  the  whole  surface  lying  above 
water,  which  does  not  exceed  a  fourth  or  a  fifth  of 
the  animal,  the  kent  machinery  is  applied,  and  turns 
the  carcass  round,  till  another  part,  yet  untouched, 
is  presented.  This  being  also  cleared,  the  mass  is 
again  turned,  and  so  on,  till  the  whole  has  been  ex- 
posed, and  the  blubber  removed.  The  kent  itself  is 
then  stripped,  and  the  bones  of  the  head  being  con- 
veyed on  board,  there  remains  only  the  kreng,  a  huge 
heap  of  fleshy  and  muscular  substance,  which  is 
abandoned,  either  to  sink,  or  bo  devoured  by  the 
flocks  of  ravenous  birds  and  sharks  which  duly 
attend  on  this  high  occasion.  The  blubber,  now 
deposited  in  the  hold,  is  by  various  processes  cleared 
of  its  impurities,  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  deposited 
in  casks.  While  the  Dutch  establishment  of  Smee- 
renberg  flourished,  they  extracted  the  oil  in  immense 
boilers,  constructed  there  for  this  purpose ;  but  when 
the  fishery  was  transferred  to  the  icy  banks  in  the 
open  sea,  this  operation  was  necessarily  deferred 
till  the  cargoes  were  deposited  in  the  Dutch  or 
British  ports. 

The  success  of  the  fishery  varies  with  the  spot  in 
which  whales  are  found.  The  most  advantageous 
that  the  Greenland  seas  afford  has  been  considered 
to  be  on  the  border  of  those  immense  fields  of  ice, 
with  which  a  great  extent  of  them  is  covered.    In 


Id 


!■     -AX 


920 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY 


t 

^,  I. 


I    t 


i 


II 

% 

I'M  P 

5    1 

l^'  '1; 


the  open  sea,  when  a  whale  is  struck,  and  ifi\mge» 
beneath  the  waters,  he  may  rise  in  any  part  of  a 
wide  circuit,  and  at  any  distance  from  the  boats ;  so 
that,  before  a  second  harpoon  can  be  struck,  he  may 
plunge  again,  and  by  continued  struggles  effect  his 
extrication.  But  in  descending  beneath  these  im- 
mense fields,  he  is  hemn.ed  in  by  the  icy  floor  above, 
and  can  only  find  an  atmosphere  to  breathe  by 
returning  to  their  outer  boundary.  The  space  in 
which  he  can  rise  is  thus  contracted  from  a  large 
circle  to  a  semicircle,  or  even  smaller  segment. 
Hence  a  whale  in  this  position  is  attacked  with  much 
better  chance  of  success ;  even  two  Uiay  be  pursued 
at  the  same  moment, — a  measure  which,  in  the  open 
sea,  often  involves  the  loss  of  both.  In  the  flourish- 
ing state  of  the  Dutch  fishery,  a  hundred  of  their 
vessels  have  been  seen  at  once  ranged  on  the  margin 
of  one  of  those  immense  fields,  along  which  the  boats 
formed  so  continuous  a  line  that  no  whale  could  rise 
%vithout  being  immediately  struck.  This  situation, 
at  the  same  time,  is  attended  with  considerable  danger 
from  the  disruptions  and  concussions  to  which  these 
plains  are  liable. 

When  the  ship  is  surrounded  with  floating  frag- 
ments of  ice,  the  fishery,  though  difTicult,  is  usually 
productive.  But  the  case  is  very  different  when 
these  pieces  are  packed  together  into  a  mass  im- 
pervious to  ships  or  boats,  yet  leaving  numerous 
holes  or  openinip^s,  through  which  the  whale  can 
mount  and  respire,  without  coming  to  the  open 
margin,  or  within  reach  of  his  assailants.  The  fish- 
era,  when  they  see  the  whale  blowing  through  one 
of  these  apertures,  must  alight  on  the  ice,  and  run 
full  speed  to  the  spot  with  lance  and  harpoon.  At- 
tack in  such  circumstances,  however,  is  both  diffi. 
cult  and  perilous ;  and  even  when  the  whale  is  killed, 
the  dragging  of  his  body  either  under  or  over  the 
ice  to  the  ship  is  a  most  tedious  and  laborious  task, 
which  sometimes  cannot  be  effected  without  cutting 
the  carcass  in  piecM 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY« 


321 


d  piling's^ 
part  of  a 
boats ;  so 
k,  he  may 

effect  hi» 
these  im- 
[)or  above, 
reathe  by 

space  in 
)in  a  large 

segment, 
with  much 
)e  pursued 
n  the  open 
le  flourish- 
d  of  their 
the  margin 
1  the  boats 
!  could  rise 

situation, 
^ble  danger 
hich  these 

ating  frag- 
is  usually 
ent  when 
mass  im- 
numerous 
ivhale  can 
the  open 

The  fish- 
•ough  one 

and  run 
Doon.  At- 
both  diffi. 
c  is  killed. 

over  the 
ious  task, 
ut  cutting 


When  the  great  fields,  in  the  progress  of  the  sea- 
son, become  open  at  various  points,  the  fishery  be- 
comes liable  to  the  same  evils  as  occur  among  packed 
ice.  Still  worse .  is  the  case  when  the  sea  is  over- 
spread with  that  thin  newly-formed  crust  called  bay- 
ice.  The  whale  easily  finds  or  beats  a  hole  through 
this  covering,  while  neither  can  the  boats  penetrate, 
nor  the  men  walk  over  it,  without  the  most  immi- 
nent danger.  Yet  Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  a  plan  by 
which  he  continued  to  carry  on  his  movements,  even 
over  a  very  slender  surface  of  bay-ice.  He  tied  to- 
gether his  whole  crew,  and  made  them  thus  walk 
in  a  long  line  one  behind  another.  There  never  fell 
in  above  four  or  five  at  a  time,  who  were  easily 
helped  out  by  the  rest.  The  sufferers  had  a  dram  to 
console  them  after  their  cold  plunge ;  and  the  com- 
pensation was  considered  so  ample,  that  Jack  was 
suspected  of  sometimes  allowing  himself  to  drop  in 
••^th  the  view  of  being  thus  indemnified. 

Another  grand  distinction  respects,  first,  the  Green- 
land fishery,  which,  generally  speaking,  is  that  al- 
ready described,  and  is  chiefly  distinguished  by  the 
immense  fields  of  ice  which  cover  the  ocean  ;  and, 
secondly,  the  Davis's  Strait  fishery,  where  that  ele- 
ment appears  chiefly  in  the  form  of  moving  moun- 
tains, tossing  through  the  deep.  This  last  is  arduous 
and  dangerous,  but  usually  productive.  It  com- 
menced at  a  comparatively  late  period,  since  it  is 
not  mentioned  by  the  Dutch  writers  prior  to  1719  ; 
and  Mr.  Scoresby  has  been  unable  to  ascertain  the 
date  when  it  was  begun  by  the  British.  Witliin 
these  few  years  it  has  experienced  a  remarkable  ex- 
tension, 01  which  a  full  account  will  be  given  in  the 
course  of  this  chapter. 

The  dangers  of  the  whale-fishery,  in  spite  of  the 
utmost  care,  and  under  the  direction  even  of  the 
most  experienced  mariners,  are  imminent  and  ma- 
nifold. ' 

The  most  obvious  peril  is  that  of  the  ship  being 


!  i' 


•      !| 


k 


322 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


!  i     M 


s  ■■ 


beset  and  sometimes  dashed  to  pieces  by  the  approacli 
and  collision  of  those  mighty  fields  and  momitains 
of  ice  with  which  those  seas  are  continually  filled- 
The  Dutch  writers  mention  many  of  these  ship- 
wrecks, among^  which  the  following  are  the  most  re- 
markable. 

Didier  Albert  Raven,  in  1639,  when  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  Spitzbergen  ice,  was  assailed  by  a  furious 
tempest.  Though  the  ship  was  violently  agitated, 
he  succeeded  in  steering  her  clear  of  the  great  bank, 
and  thought  himself  in  comparative  safety,  when 
there  appeared  before  him  two  immense  bergs,  upon 
which  the  wind  was  violently  driving  his  vessel.  He 
endeavoured,  by  spreading  all  his  sails,  to  penetrate 
between  them;  but  in  this  attempt  the  ship  was 
borne  against  one  with  so  terrible  a  shock,  that  it 
was  soon  felt  to  be  sinking.  By  cutting  the  masts 
the  mariners  enabled  her  to  proceed ;  yet,  as  she  con- 
tinued to  take  in  water,  several  boats  were  launched, 
which,  being  over-crowded,  sunk,  and  all  on  board 
perished.  Tliose  left  in  the  ship  found  their  condi- 
tion moiie  and  more  desperate.  The  forepart  of 
the  vessel  being  deep  in  the  water,  and  the  keel 
rising  almost  perpendicular,  made  it  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  avoid  falling  into  the  sea ;  while  a  mast,  to 
which  a  number  had  clung,  broke,  plunged  down, 
and  involved  them  in  the  fate  of  their  unfortunate 
companions.  At  length,  the  stern  separated  from 
the  rest  of  the  vessel,  carrying  witli  it  several  morg 
of  the  sailors.  The  survivors  still  clung  to  the 
wretched  fragments,  but  one  after  another  was 
washed  off  by  the  fury  of  the  waves,  while  some,  half 
dead  with  cold,  and  unable  to  retain  their  grasp  of 
the  ropes  and  anchors,  dropped  in.  The  crew  of 
eighty-six  was  thiis  reduced  to  twenty-nine,  when 
the  ship  suddenly  changed  its  position,  and  assumed 
one  in  which  they  could  more  easily  keep  their  fool- 
ing on  board.  The  sea  then  calmed,  and  during 
ihe  respite  thus  afforded  thev  felt  an  irresistible  pi\'- 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


323 


;     H 


approach 
lountains 
lly  filled, 
ese  ship- 
j  most  re- 

the  bor- 
a  furious 
ai^tated, 
eat  bank, 
ty,  when 
rgs,  upon 
ssel.    He 
penetrate 
ship  was 
;k,  that  it 
he  masts 
s  she  con- 
launched, 
on  board 
eir  condi- 
irepart  of 
the  keel 
lely  diffi- 
mast,  to 
5d  down, 
brtunate 
ted  from 
ral  mors 
g  to  the 
;her   was 
ome,  half 
grasp  of 
crew  of 
le,  when 
assumed 
leir  foot- 
during 
tible  pi\'- 


pensity  to  sleep ;  but  to  some  it  was  the  fatal  sleep 
of  extreme  cold,  from  which  they  never  awoke. 
One  man  suggested  the  construction  of  a  raft,  which 
was  accordingly  framed,  contrary  to  the  captain's 
advice ;  happily,  no  sooner  was  it  launched  than  the 
waves  swallowed  it  up.  The  remnant  of  the  vessel 
encountered  next  night  another  severe  gale ;  and  the 
sufferings  of  the  crew,  from  cold,  hunger,  and  burn- 
ing thirst,  were  so  extreme,  that  death  in  every  form 
seemed  now  to  have  encompassed  them.  In  the 
morning,  however,  a  sail  was  descried,  their  signals 
were  understood,  and  being  taken  on  board,  twenty 
survivors,  after  forty-eight  hours  of  this  extreme 
distress,  were  restored  to  safety. 

In  1670  the  Blecker  (Bleacher),  Captain  Pit,  was 
driven  against  the  ice  with  such  violence,  that  in  an 
instant  all  her  rigging  was  dashed  in  pieces.  Soon 
after,  twenty-nine  of  the  crew  quitted  the  vessel,  and, 
leaping  by  the  help  of  poles  and  perches  from 
one  fragment  of  ice  to  another,  contrived  to  reach 
the  main  field.  The  captain  with  seven  men  re- 
mained on  board,  and  endeavoured  to  open  a  pas- 
sage ;  but  soon  after  the  ship  again  struck,  when  they 
were  obliged  to  go  into  a  boat,  and  commit  them- 
selves to  chance,  the  snow  falling  so  thick  that  they 
could  scarcely  see  each  other.  As  the  weather 
cleared,  they  discovered  their  companions  on  the  ice, 
who  threw  a  whale-line,  and  dragged  them  to  the 
same  spot.  There,  the  party  having  waited  twelve 
hours  in  hopes  of  relief,  at  length  trusted  themselves 
to  the  boats,  and  in  twelve  hours  were  taken  up  by 
a  Dutch  vessel. 

Captain  Bille,  in  1675,  lost  a  ship  richly  laden, 
which  went  down  suddenly ;  after  which  the  crew 
wandered  in  boats  over  the  sea  for  fourteen  days 
before  they  were  taken  up.  Thirteen  other  vessels 
perished  that  year  in  the  Spitzbergen  seas.  Three 
seasons  afterward  Captain  Bille  lost  a  second  ship 
by  the  violent  concussion  of  the  ice,  the  crew  having 


It 


ET      -^ 


324 


NORTHERN    WHALE-FISHER-. 


(■ 


il  .■ 


.1    IH' 


it    ' 


just  time  to  save  themselves  on  a  frozen  field.  At 
the  moment  of  their  disaster  they  were  moored  to  a 
large  floe,  along  with  another,  a  brig  called  the  Red 
Fox;  which  last  shortly  afterward  underwent  a 
similar  fate,  being  struck  with  such  violence,  that  the 
whole,  hull  and  masts  together,  disappeared  almost 
in  an  instant, — the  sailors,  like  Captain  Bille's  com- 
pany, having  had  merely  time  to  leap  on  the  ice. 
The  united  crews  now  adopted  various  plans ;  some 
keeping  their  station,  others  setting  out  in  boats  in 
different  directions ;  but  all,  in  one  wa)*^  or  other, 
reached  home.  The  same  year  the  Concord  went 
down  in  an  equally  sudden  manner ;  but  tlie  crew 
were  happily  taken  up  by  a  neighbouring  ship. 

The  whale-fishery  is  not  more  distinguished  for 
examples  of  sudden  peril  and  besetment  than  for 
unexpected  deliverance  from  the  most  alarming 
situations. 

Three  Dutch  ships,  in  1676,  after  having  completed 
a  rich  cargo  on  the  northern  coast  of  Spitzbergen, 
were  at  once  so  completely  beset,  that  the  crews  in 
general  urged  the  necessity  of  proceeding  over  the 
ice,  and  endeavouring  to  reach  some  other  vessel. 
Ouvekees,  however,  captain  of  one  of  the  three, 
strongly  urged  the  obligation  of  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  preserve  such  valuable  property,  and  they 
agreed  to  make  a  farther  trial ;  when,  in  twenty  days, 
the  ice  opened,  and  they  had  a  happy  voyage  home- 
ward. 

The  Dame  Maria  Elizabeth,  in  1769,  had  set  out 
early  for  the  fishery,  and  was  so  fortunate  as,  by  the 
30th  of  May,  to  have  taken  fourteen  whales.  Then, 
however,  a  violent  gale  from  the  south  blew  in  the 
ice  with  such  violence,  that  the  captain  found  him- 
self completely  beset,  and  saw  two  Dutch  vessels 
and  one  English  go  to  pieces  at  a  little  distance.  At 
length  a  brisk  gale  from  the  north  gave  him  the  hope 
of  being  extricated;  when  presently  he  was  involved 
11  a  dense  fog,  which  froze  so  thick  upon  the  sails 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERT. 


325 


field.  At 
lored  to  a 
I  the  Red 
erwent  a 
3,  that  the 
;d  almost 
lie's  com- 
i  the  ice. 
ns;  some 
.  boats  in 
or  other, 
!ord  went 
tlie  crew 
hip. 

lished  for 

;  than  for 

alarming 

jompleted 

itzbergen, 

crews  in 

over  the 

r  vessel. 

he  three, 

in  their 

and  they 

mtydays, 

ge  home- 

d  set  out 
as,  by  the 
J.  Then, 
3W  in  the 
und  him- 
vessels 
ince.  At 
the  hope 
involved 
the  sails 


and  rigging,  that  the  ship  appeared  a  mere  floating 
iceberg.  As  the  atmosphere  cleared,  the  faint  light, 
and  the  birds  winging  their  way  to  the  southward, 
announced  the  closing  in  of  winter.  U  nable  to  make 
any  progress,  the  seamen  looked  forward  in  despair 
to  the  prospect  of  spending  the  season  in  that  frozen 
latitude.  They  had  nearly  come  to  the  end  of  their 
provision^  a  ^imine  was  alrea'''"  ^♦aring  them  in 
the  face,  ,.Iien  jy  thought  of  bilaing  the  whales' 
tails,  which  proved  very  eatable,  and  even  salutary 
against  the  scurvy.  Thus  they  hoped  to  exist  till  the 
middle  of  February,  beyond  which  the  prospect  was 
very  dismal ;  but  on  the  12th  November  there  arose 
a  violent  north  wind,  which  dispersed  the  ice.  Their 
hopes  being  now  awakened,  every  effort  was  strained ; 
and  on  the  18th  a  north-wester  brought  on  so  heavy 
a  rain,  that  next  day  they  were  entirely  clear  of  the 
ice,  and  had  a  prosperous  voyage  homeward. 

The  year  1777  was  one  which  exhibited,  on  the 
greatest  scale,  all  the  vicissitudes  of  this  occupation. 
Captain  Broerties,  in  the  Guillamine,  arrived  that 
year  on  the  22d  June  at  the  great  bank  of  northern 
ice,  where  he  found  fifty  vessels  moored  and  busied 
in  the  fishery.  He  began  it  prosperously :  the  very 
next  day  indeed  he  killed  a  large  whale.  The  day 
after,  a  tempest  drove  in  the  ice  with  such  violence 
that  twenty-seven  of  the  ships  were  beset,  of  which 
ten  were  lost.  Broerties,  on  the  25th  July,  seeing 
some  appearance  of  an  opening,  caused  the  Guilla- 
mine to  be  warped  through  by  the  boats ;  but,  after 
four  days'  labour,  she  found  herself,  with  four  other 
ships,  in  a  narrow  basin,  enclosed  by  icy  barriers  on 
every  side.  The  captain,  foreseeing  the  danger  of 
permanent  besetment,  obliged  the  crew  to  submit  to 
a  diminution  of  their  rations. 

On  the  1st  August  the  ice  began  to  gather  thick, 
and  a  violent  storm  driving  it  against  the  vessels, 
placed  them  in  the  greatest  peril  for  a  number  oC  days. 
On  the  20th  a  dreadful  gale  arose  from  the  north- 


^  1 


fl        ! 


326 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERT. 


■,  i 


ii  .' 


east,  in  which  the  Guillamine  suffered  very  conside* 
rable  damage.  In  this  awful  tempest,  out  of  the  five 
ships  two  went  down,  while  a  third  had  sprung  a 
number  of  leaks.  The  crews  were  taken  on  board 
of  the  two  remaining  barks,  which  they  greatly  in 
commoded.  On  the  25th  all  the  three  were  'com 
pletely  frozen  in,  when  it  was  resolved  to  send  a 
party  of  twelve  men  to  seek  aid  from  four  vessels 
which  a  few  days  before  had  been  driven  into  a  sta- 
tion at  a  little  distance ;  but  by  the  time  of  their 
arrival  two  of  these  had  been  dashed  to  pieces,  and 
the  other  two  were  in  the  most  deplorable  condition. 
Two  Hamburgh  ships,  somewhat  farther  removed, 
had  perished  in  a  similar  manner.  Meantime  the 
former  came  in  sight  of  Gale  Hamkes*  Land,  in 
Greenland,  and  the  tempest  still  pushing  them  gra- 
dually to  the  southward,  Iceland  at  length  appeared 
on  their  left.  The  two  more  distant  ones,  com- 
manded by  Dirk  Broer  and  Roel  of  Meyer,  found  a 
little  opening,  through  which  they  contrived  to  escape. 
The  crews  of  the  three  others  were  beginning  to 
hope  that  they  might  at  last  be  equally  fortunate, 
when,  on  the  13th  September,  a  whole  mountain  of 
ice  fell  upon  the  Guillamine.  The  men,  half  naked, 
leaped  out  upon  the  frozen  surface,  saving  with 
diificulty  a  small  portion  of  their  provisions.  The 
broken  remnants  of  the  vessel  were  soon  buried 
under  enormous  piles  of  ice.  Of  the  two  other 
ships,  one  commanded  by  Jeldert  Janz  had  just  met 
a  similar  fate,  and  there  remained  only  that  of  Jans 
Gastricum,  to  which  all  now  looked  for  refuge.  By 
leaping  from  one  fragment  of  ice  to  another,  the 
men,  not  without  danger,  contrived  to  reach  this 
vessel,  which,  though  in  extreme  distress,  received 
them  on  board.  Shattered  and  overcrowded,  she  was 
obliged  immediately  after  to  accommodate  fifty  other 
seamen,  the  crew  of  the  Janz  Christiaanz  of  Ham- 
burgh, which  had  just  gone  down,  the  chief  har- 
pooner  and  twelve  of  the  mariners  having  perished 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


327 


y  conside- 
of  the  five 
I  sprung  a 
L  on  board 
greatly  in 
wrere  'com 
to  send  a 
►ur  vessels 
into  a  sta- 
ne  of  their 
pieces,  and 
e  condition, 
jr  removed, 
jantime  the 
}s'  Land,  in 
r  them  gra- 
th  appeared 
ones,  com- 
yer,  found  a 
ed  to  escape. 
)eginning  to 
ly  fortunate, 
nountain  of 
jhalf  naked, 
saving  with 
sions.    The 
soon  buried 
B  two  other 
lad  just  met 
that  of  Jans 
refuge.    By 
another,  the 
reach  this 
ess,  received 
rded,  she  was 
ite  fifty  other 
mz  of  Ham- 
le  chief  bar- 
ing perished 


These  numerous  companies,  squeezed  into  the  crazy 
bark  of  Castricum,  suffered  every  kind  of  distress. 
Famine,  in  its  most  direful  forms,  began  to  stare  ^em 
in  the  face.  All  remoter  fears,  however,  gave  way, 
when  on  the  11th  October,  the  vessel  went  to  pieces 
in  the  same  sudden  manner  as  the  others,  leaving  to 
the  unfortunate  sailors  scarcely  time  enough  to  leap 
upon  the  ice  with  their  remaining  stores.  With  great 
difficulty  they  reached  a  field  of  some  extent,  and 
contrived  with  their  torn  sails  to  rear  a  sort  of  co- 
vering ;  but,  sensible  that,  by  remaining  on  this  deso- 
late spot,  they  must  certainly  perish,  they  saw  no 
safety  except  in  scrambling  over  the  frozen  surface 
to  the  coast  of  Greenland,  which  was  in  view.  With 
infinite  toil  they  effected  their  object,  and  happily 
met  some  inhabitants,  who  received  them  hospitably, 
and  regaled  them  with  dried  fish  and  seals'  flesh. 
Thence  they  pushed  across  that  dreary  region,  treated 
sometimes  well,  sometimes  churlishly ;  but  by  one 
means  or  other  they  succeeded  at  length,  on  the  13th 
March,  in  reaching  the  Danish  settlement  of  Frede- 
rikshaab.  Here  they  were  received  with  the  utmost 
kindness ,  and,  being  recruited  from  their  fatigues, 
took  the  first  opportunity  of  embarking  for  Denmark, 
whence  they  afterward  sailed  to  their  native  country. 

The  Davis's  Strait  fishery  has  also  been  marked 
with  very  frequent  and  fatal  shipwrecks.  In  1814 
the  Royalist,  Captain  Edmonds,  perished  with  all  her 
crew;  and  in  1817,  the  London,  Captain  Mathews, 
shared  the  same  fate.  The  only  account  of  either 
of  these  ships  ever  received  was  from  Captain  Ben- 
net  of  the  Venerable,  who,  on  the  I6th  April,  saw 
the  London  in  a  tremendous  storm,  lying  to  wind- 
ward of  an  extensive  chain  of  icebergs,  among 
which,  it  is  probable  she  was  dashed  to  pieces  that 
very  evening.  Large  contributions  were  raised  at 
Hull  for  the  widows  and  families  of  the  seamen  who 
had  suffered  on  these  melancholy  occasions. 

Among  accidents  on  a  smaller  scale,  one  of  the 


328 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


most  frequent  is,  that  of  boats  employed  in  pursuit 
of  the  whale  being  overtaken  by  deep  fogs  or  stonns 
of  snow,  which  separate  them  from  the  ship,  and 
never  allow  them  to  regain  it.  A  fatal  instance  of 
this  kind  occurred  to  the  Ipswich,  Captain  Gordon ; 
four  of  whose  boats,  after  a  whale  had  been  caught, 
and  even  brought  to  the  ship's  side,  were  employed 
on  a  piece  of  ice  hauling  in  the  line^  when  a  storm 
suddenly  arose,  caused  the  vessel  to  drift  away,  and 
prevented  her,  notwithstanding  the  utmost  efforts, 
from  ever  coming  within  reach  of  the  unfonunate 
crews  who  composed  the  greater  part  of  her  esta- 
blishment. Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  several  casual- 
ties of  the  same  nature  which  occurred  to  his  boats' 
companies,  all  of  whom,  however,  in  the  end,  hap 
pily  found  their  way  back.  One  of  the  most  alarm 
ing  cases  was  that  of  fourteen  men  who  were  left 
on  a  small  piece  of  floating  ice,  with  a  boat  wholly 
unable  to  withstand  the  surrounding  tempest;  but 
amid  their  utmost  despair  they  fell  in  with  the  Lively 
of  Whitby,  and  were  most  cordially  leceived  on 
board. 

The  source,  however,  of  the  most  constant  alarm 
to  the  whale-fisher  is  connected  with  the  movements 
of  that  powerful  animal,  against  which,  with  most 
unequal  strength,  he  ventures  to  contend.  Gene- 
rally, indeed,  the  whale,  notwithstanding  his  im- 
mense strength,  is  gentle,  and  even  passive ;  seeking, 
even  when  he  is  most  hotly  pursued,  to  escape  from 
his  assailants,  by  plunging  into  the  lowest  depths  of 
the  ocean.  Sometimes,  however,  he  exerts  his 
utmost  force  in  violent  and  convulsive  struggles; 
and  every  thing  with  which,  when  thus  enraged,  he 
comes  into  collision,  is  dissipated  or  destroyed  in  an 
instant.  The  Dutch  writers  mention  Jacquez  Vienkes 
of  the  Gort  Moolen  (Barley  Mill),  who,  after  a  whale 
had  been  struck,  was  hastening  with  a  second  boat 
10  the  support  of  the  first.  The  fish,  however,  rose, 
and  with  its  head  struck  the  boat  so  furiously,  that 


w 


NORTHERN    WHALE-FISHERY. 


329 


I  pursuit 
T  storms 
hip,  and 
tance  of 
Gordon ; 
1  caught, 
smployed 
I  a  storm 
.way,  and 
it  efforts, 
ioi'tunate 
her  esta- 
i\  casual- 
his  boats' 
end,  hap 
)st  alarm 
were  left 
at  wholly 
ipest;  but 
the  Lively 
ceived  on 

;ant  alarm 
lovements 
with  most 
1.     Gene- 
er  his  im- 
;  seeking, 
cape  from 
depths  of 
exerts  his 
struggles ; 
iraged,  he 
oyed  in  an 
BZ  Vienkes 
Br  a  whale 
>cond  boat 
ever,  rose, 
msly,  that 


it  was  shivered  to  pieces,  and  Vienkes  was  thrown 
with  its  fragments  on  the  back  of  the  huge  animal. 
Even  then  this  bold  mariner  darted  a  second  har- 

goon  into  the  body  of  his  victim ;  but  unfortunately 
e  got  entangled  in  the  line  and  could  not  extricate 
himself,  while  the  other  party  were  unable  to  ap- 
proach near  enough  to  save  him.  At  last,  however, 
the  harpoon  was  disengaged,  and  he  swam  to  the 
boat. 

Mr.  Scoresby,  in  one  of  his  earliest  voyages,  saw 
a  boat  thrown  several  yards  into  the  air,  from  which 
it  fell  on  its  side,  plunging  the  crew  into  the  sea. 
They  were  happily  taken  up,  when  only  one  was 
found  to  have  received  a  severe  contusion.  Captain 
Lyons  of  the  Raith  of  Leith,  on  the  Labrador  coast, 
in  1802,  had  a  boat  thrown  fifteen  feet  into  the  air ; 
it  came  down  into  the  water  with  its  keel  upwards, 
yet  all  the  men  except  one  were  saved. 

The  crew  of  Mr.  Scoresby  the  elder,  in  1807,  had 
struck  a  whale,  which  soon  reappeared,  but  in  a 
state  of  such  violent  agitation  that  no  one  durst  ap- 
proach it.  The  captain  courageously  undertook  to 
encounter  it  in  a  boat  by  himself,  and  succeeded  in 
striking  a  second  harpoon ;  but  another  boat  having 
advanced  too  close,  the  animal  brandished  its  tail 
with  so  much  fury,  that  the  harpooner,  who  was  di- 
rectly under,  judged  it  most  prudent  to  leap  into  the 
sea.  The  tail  then  struck  the  very  place  that  he 
had  left,  and  cut  the  boat  entirely  asunder,  with  the 
exception  of  two  planks,  which  were  saved  by  hav- 
ing a  coil  of  ropes  laid  over  them ;  sr>  that  had  he 
remained,  he  must  have  been  dashed  to  pieces. 
Happily  all  the  others  escaped  injury.  The  issues, 
however,  were  not  always  so  fortunate.  The  Aim- 
well  of  Whitby  in  1810,  lost  three  men  out  of  seven, 
and,  in  1812,  the  Henrietta  of  the  same  port  lost 
four  out  of  six,  by  the  boats  being  upset,  and  the 
crews  thrown  into  the  sea. 
In  1809,  one  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  Resolu* 


I'; 


*  I 


k 


330 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


:i 


^  i't 


A 


tion  of  Whitby,  struck  a  sucking  whale ;  after  which 
the  mother,  being  seen  wheehng  rapidly  round  the 
spot,  was  eagerly  watched.  Mr.  Scoresby,  being  on 
this  occasion  in  the  capacity  of  harpooner  in  another 
boat,  was  selecting  a  situation  for  the  probable  re- 
appearance of  the  parent  fish,  when  suddenly  an  in- 
visible blow  stove  in  fifteen  feet  of  the  bottom  of 
his  barge,  which  filled  with  water  and  instantly  sunk. 
The  crew  were  saved. 

Entanglement  in  the  line,  while  the  retreating 
whale  is  drawing  it  off  with  rapidity,  is  often  pro- 
ductive of  great  disaster.  A  sailor  belonging  to  the 
John  of  Greenock,  in  1818,  having  happened  to  step 
into  the  centre  of  a  coil  of  running  rope,  had  a  foot 
entirely  carried  off,  and  was  obliged  to  have  the 
lower  part  of  the  leg  amputated.  A  harpponer,  be- 
longing to  the  Henrietta  of  Whitby,  had  incautiously 
cast  some  part  of  the  line  under  his  feet ;  when  a 
sudden  dart  of  the  fish  made  it  twist  round  his  body. 
He  had  just  time  to  cry  out, — ^**  Clear  away  the  line ! 
O  dear !''  whei  he  was  cut  almost  asunder,  dragged 
overboard,  and  never  more  seen. 

A  whale  sometimes  bauses  danger  by  proving  to 
be  alive  after  having  exhibited  every  symptom  of 
death.  Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  the  instance  of  one 
which  appeared  so  decidedly  dead,  that  he  himself 
had  leaped  on  the  tail,  and  was  busy  putting  a  rope 
through  it,  when  he  suddenly  felt  the  animal  sink- 
ing from  beneath  him.  He  made  a  spring  towards 
a  boat  that  was  some  yards  distant,  and,  grasping 
the  gunwale,  was  assisted  on  board.  The  fish  then 
moved  forwards,  reared  his  tail  aloft,  and  shook  it 
with  such  prodigious  violence,  that  it  resounded  to 
the  distance  of  several  miles.  After  two  or  three 
minutes  of  this  violent  exertion,  he  rolled  on  his 
side  and  expired. 

Even  after  life  is  extinct,  all  danger  is  not  over. 
In  the  operation  of  flensing,  the  harpooners  some- 
times fall  into  the  whale's  mouth,  with  the  immi- 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


331 


after  which 
round  the 
y,  being  on 
r  in  another 
'obable  re- 
enly  an  in- 
bottom  of 
antly  sunk. 

retreating 
often  pro- 
ving to  the 
ned  to  step 
,  had  a  foot 
)  have  the 
pponer,  be- 
[icautiously 
it;  when  a 
d  his  body, 
ly  the  line ! 
er,  dragged 

r  proving  to 
ymptom  of 
mce  of  one 
he  himself 
ting  a  rope 
nimal  sink- 
ng  towards 
Ld,  grasping 
le  fish  then 
nd  shook  it 
isounded  to 
^o  or  three 
lied  on  his 

I  not  over. 

ners  some- 

the  immi- 


nent danger  of  being  drowned.  In  the  case  of  a 
heavy  swell  they  are  drenched,  and  sometimes 
washed  over  by  the  surge.  Occasionally  they  have 
their  ropes  broken,  and  are  wounded  by  each  other^s 
knives.  Mr.  Scoresby  mentions  a  harpooner  who, 
after  the  flensing  was  completed,  happened  to  have 
his  foot  attached  by  a  hook  to  the  kreng  or  carcass, 
when  the  latter  was  inadvertently  cut  away.  The 
man  caught  hold  of  the  gunwale  of  the  boat ;  but 
the  whole  immense  mass  was  now  suspended  by  his 
body,  occasioning  the  most  excruciating  torture,  and 
even  exposing  him  to  the  danger  oi  being  torn  asun- 
der, when  his  companions  contrived  to  hook  the 
kreng  with  a  grapnel,  and  bring  it  back  to  i.he  sur- 
face. 

The  whale,  in  attempting  to  escape,  sometinxj 
exerts  prodigious  strength,  and  inflicts  upon  its  pur- 
suers not  only  danger,  but  the  loss  of  the  .r  oroperty. 
In  1812,  a  boat's  crew  belonging  to  the  Resolution 
of  Whitby  struck  a  whale  on  the  margin  of  a  floe. 
Supported  by  a  second  boat,  they  felt  much  at  their 
ease,  there  being  scarcely  an  instance  in  which  the 
assistance  of  a  third  was  required  in  such  circum- 
stances. Soon,  however,  a  signal  was  made  for 
more  line,  and  as  Mr.  Scoresby  was  pushing  with 
his  utmost  speed,  four  oars  were  raised  in  signal 
of  the  utmost  distress.  The  boat  was  now  seen 
with  its  bow  on  a  level  with  the  water,  while  the 
harpooner,  from  the  friction  c'  the  line,  was  enve- 
loped in  smoke.  At  length,  ;^  lien  the  relief  was 
within  a  hundred  yards,  the  crew  were  seen  to 
throw  their  jackets  upon  the  nearest  ice,  and  then 
leap  into  the  sea;  after  which  the  boat  rose  into 
the  air,  and,  making  a  majestic  curve,  disappeared 
beneath  the  waters,  with  all  the  line  attached  to  it. 
The  crew  were  saved.  A  vigorous  pursuit  was  im- 
mediately commenced ;  and  the  whale,  being  traced 
through  narrow  and  intricate  channels,  was  disco- 
vered considerably  to  the  eastward,  when  three  har- 


i    1 
t    f 
i 


m 

■I' 

'   < 


^•5  I 


•:  ill 


332 


NORTHERN    WHALE-FISHERT. 


m  * 


Eoons  were  darted  at  him.  The  line  of  two  other 
oats  was  then  run  out,  when,  by  an  accidental  en- 
tanglement, it  broke,  and  enabled  the  whale  to  cany 
off  in  all  about  four  miles  of  rope,  which,  with  the 
boat,  were  valued  at  150/.  The  daring  fishers  again 
gave  chase ;  the  whale  was  seen, but  missed.  A  third 
time  it  appeared,  and  was  reached ;  two  more  har- 
poons were  struck,  and  the  animal  being  plied  with 
lances,  became  entirely  exhausted,  and  yielded  to 
its  fate.  It  had  by  that  time  drawn  out  10,440  yards, 
or  about  six  miles  of  line.  Unluckily,  through  the 
disengagement  of  a  harpoon,  a  boat  and  thirteen 
lines,  nearly  two  miles  in  length,  were  detached  and 
never  recovered.  i, 

Whale-fishers  sometimes  meet  with  agreeable 
surprises.  The  crew  of  the  ship  Nautilus  had  cap- 
tured a  fish,  which  being  disentangled  and  drawn 
to  the  ship,  some  of  them  were  employed  to  haid  in 
the  line.  Suddenly  they  felt  it  pulled  away  as  if 
by  another  whale,  and  having  made  signals  for 
more  line,  were  soon  satisfied,  by  the  continued 
movements,  that  this  was  the  case.  At  length  a 
large  one  rose  up  close  to  them,  and  was  quickly 
killed.  It  then  proved,  that  the  animal,  while  morlng 
through  the  waters,  had  received  the  rope  into  its 
open  mouth,  and,  struck  by  the  unusual  sensation, 
held  it  fast  between  its  jaws,  and  thus  became  the 
prey  of  his  enemy. — The  Prince  of  Brazils  of  Hull 
had  struck  a  small  fish,  which  sunk  apparently  dead. 
The  crew  applied  all  their  strength  to  heave  it  up ; 
but  sudden  and  violent  jerks  on  the  line  convinced 
themf  that  it  was  still  alive.  They  persevered,  and 
at  length  brought  up  two  fishes  in  succession,  one  of 
^hich  had  many  turns  of  the  rope  wound  round  its 
body.  Having  been  entangled  under  water,  it  had, 
in  its  attempt  to  escape,  been  more  and  more  impli- 
cated, till,  in  the  end,  it  shared  the  fate  of  its  com- 
panion. 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FlsmsRY. 


333 


'  two  other 
idental  en- 
ile  to  cany 
h,  with  the 
ihers  again 
d.  A  third 
more  har- 
pUed  with 
yielded  to 
>,440  yards, 
iirough  the 
id  thirteen 
tached  and 

agreeable 
IS  had  cap- 
and  drawn 

to  haul  in 
way  as  if 
signals  for 

continued 
d  length  a 
as  quickly 
ile  morlng 
)e  into  its 
sensation, 
Bcame  the 
Is  of  Hull 
ntly  dead, 
ve  it  up; 
convinced 

ered,  and 
)n,  one  of 

round  its 
er,  it  had, 
ore  impli- 

its  com- 


A  view  of  the  whale-fishery,  as  it  existed  prior  to 
1820,  has  thus  been  drawn  from  ample  and  authen- 
tic materials  afforded  by  the  Dutch  and  other  ear- 
lier writers,  as  well  as  by  the  valuable  work  of  the 
younger  Mr.  Scoresby.  Having  understood,  how- 
ever, that  within  the  last  few  years  the  trade  has 
been  turned  into  several  new  channels,  we  applied 
to  certain  intelligent  individuals  in  the  principal  ports, 
from  whom  we  have  obtained  such  valuable  infor- 
mation as  enable?  us  to  bring  down  the  history  of 
its  operations  to  the  very  latest  period. 

A  remarkable  change  has  lately  taken  place  as  to 
the  waters  in  which  the  fishery  is  carried  on.  For 
more  than  a  century  it  was  confined  to  the  space  be- 
tween Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  commonly  called 
the  Greenland  Sea.  Early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
Davis^s  Strait  began  to  be  frequented,  and  the  ships 
sent  thither  gradually  increased  in  number.  A 
somewhat  more  ample  return,  in  fact,  was  drawn 
from  those  western  seas,  though  Mr.  Scoresby  con- 
ceives that  the  longer  and  more  expensive  voyage, 
and  the  increased  hazards,  fully  counterbalanced  this 
advantage.  When  he  wrote,  the  Greenland  fishery 
was  still  the  most  considerable,  and  the  ships  pro« 
ceeding  thither  were  in  the  proportion  of  three  to 
two  of  those  sent  to  Davis^s  Strait.  Since  that  time 
its  produce  has  sustained  a  remarkable  diminution ; 
the  whales  which,  during  the  course  of  two  centuries, 
had  been  gradually  retiring  from  place  to  place,  have 
at  last  sought  refuge  in  the  remote  and  inaccessible 
depths  of  the  icy  sea.  Hence  this  fishery  has  been 
almost  abandoned ;  having  employed,  in  1829,  only 
one  vessel,  though  in  1830  the  number  has  been  in- 
creased to  four.  For  this  almost  entire  loss  of  their 
original  ground,  the  whalers  have  been  compensated 
by  the  new  and  more  extensive  field  opened  up  to 
them  on  the  western  coast.  The  important  expedi- 
tions sent  out  by  government  under  Ross  and  Panr 
have  made  them  acquainted  with  a  number  of  ad- 


334 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


^     i 


mirable  stations  on  the  farther  side  of  Davis's  Strait 
and  in  the  higher  latitudes  of  Baffin's  Bay,  which 
were  before  little  known,  and  scarcely  ever  fre- 
quented. They  now,  therefore,  prosecute  their 
fishery  almost  exclusively  in  those  seas,  and  follow 
a  method  which  is  in  many  respects  different. 

The  vessels  destined  for  that  quarter  sail  usually 
in  March,  though  some  delay  their  departure  till  the 
middle  or  even  the  end  of  April.     They  proceed 
first  to  the  northern  parts  of  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
or  to  the  mouth  of  Cumberland  Strait,  carrying  on 
what  is  called  the  South-west  fishery.    After  remain- 
ing there  till  about  the  beginning  of  May,  they  cross 
to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Strait,  and  fish  upwards 
along  the   coast,   particularly  in   South-east  Bay, 
North-east  Bay,  Kingston  Bay  or   Horn    Sound. 
About  the  month  of  July,  they  usually  cross  Baffin's 
Bay  to  Lancaster  Sound,  which  they  sometimes 
enter,  and  occasionally  even  ascend  Barrow's  Strait 
twenty  or  thirty  miles.    In  returning,  they  fish  down 
the  western  shore,  where  their  favourite  stations  are 
Pond's  Bay,  Agnes's  Monument,  Home  Bay,  and 
Cape  Searle.    If  the  ships  be  not  previously  filled, 
they  commonly  remain  till  the  end  of  September, 
and  in  some  instances  persevere  till  late  in  October. 
Our  informant  at  Peterhead  mentions  a  vessel  from 
that  port  which  was  clean  on  the  last  day  of  Septem- 
ber; yet  the  captain  proceeded  with  such  spirit 
and  resolution,  that  after  this  date  he  caught  five 
whales,  making  his  cargo  equal  to  the  average  of  the 
year,  and  reached  home  by  the  27th  October. 

The  vessels  for  Greenland  sail  about  the  beginning 
of  Vpril,  and  return  frequently  in  July,  seldom  re- 
maining on  the  fishing-ground  beyond  the  end  of 
August. 

The  Davis's  Strait  fishery  has  always  been  sub- 
ject to  remarkable  casualties,  which  have  been  still 
farther  increased  since  the  vessels  took  a  wider 
range,  and  ventured  into  the  higher  and  more  frozer 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


335 


I'  f 


is's  Strait 
ly,  which 
ever  fre- 
ute  their 
id  follow 
nt. 

il  usually 
ire  till  the 
'  proceed 
Labrador, 
rrying  on 
;r  remain- 
hey  cross 
upwards 
east  Bay, 
n    Sound. 
3s  Baffin's 
lometimes 
w's  Strait 
fish  down 
ations  are 
Bay,  and 
sly  filled, 
eptember, 
October, 
ssel  from 
f  Septem- 
ich  spirit 
ught  five 
ige  of  the 
3r. 

)eginning 
Idom  re- 
e  end  of 

)een  sub- 
been  still 
a  wider 
)re  frozer 


latitudes.     Our  correspondent  at  Aberdeen  states, 
that, — 

In  1819,  out  of  63  ships  there  were  lost  10 

.  .  1821,  ...  .79 11 

.  .  1822,  ....  60 7 

These  wrecks  have  generally  occurred  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ships  being  beset  in  their  attempt  to 
pass  from  the  eastern  coast  to  Lancaster  Sound, 
across  that  great  barrier  of  ice  which  fills  the  centre 
of  Bafl[m's  Bay.  The  sides  of  the  vessels  have 
sometimes  been  pressed  together ;  at  other  times  they 
have  been  squeezed  out  of  the  water  and  laid  upon 
the  ice.  But  experience  seems  to  have  enabled  the 
mariners  to  guard,  in  some  degree,  against  these 
dangers.  Last  year,  of  eighty-nine  ships  sent  out 
to  this  fishery,  only  four  were  lost ;  namely,  the 
Dauntless,  Bramham,  of  Hull ;  the  Rookwood,  Law- 
son,  of  London ;  the  Jane,  Bruce,  of  Aberdeen ;  the 
Home  Castle,  Stewart,  of  Leith. 

Several  of  these  shipwrecks  have  been  attended 
with  very  peculiar  circumstances.  In  1825,  the 
Active,  Captain  Gray,  of  Peterhead,  was  so  com- 
pletely beset  in  Exeter  Sound,  that  on  the  Ist 
October,  the  crew  were  obliged  to  abandon  her  and 
take  a  passage  in  other  ships.  Next  year  a  vessel, 
sent  out  to  ascertain  her  fate,  found  her  on  the 
beach,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  place  of  beset- 
ment,  completely  uninjured.  She  was  got  off  in  a 
few  days,  and  brought  home  with  her  cargo  to  Pe- 
terhead, where  she  arrived  on  the  12th  September. 

In  1826,  the  Dundee,  Captain  Dawson,  of  London, 
having  ventured  into  the  higher  parallels  of  Baffin's 
Bay,  was,  in  74°  30'  north  latitude,  so  completely 
beset  and  enclosed  within  impenetrable  barriers,  that 
the  crew  could  obtain  no  assistance  from  the  other 
ships.  To  add  to  their  distress,  a  Dutch  vessel  near 
them  was  completely  wrecked;  and  the  nien,>to  the 


!? 


1^: 


r^ 


336 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


f-i' 


i  ^ 


h. 


if    '.    1 


number  of  forty-six,  came  on  board  entirely  desti- 
tute. They  were  supported  from  the  23d  August  to 
the  6th  October,  when  they  set  out  in  their  boats  to 
endeavour  to  reach  the  Danish  settlement  of  Levely ; 
but  as  this  was  350  miles  distant,  much  doubt  was 
entertained  if  they  would  ever  arrive  at  their  des- 
tination. The  crew  of  the  Dundee,  reduced  to 
extreme  distress  by  the  want  of  provisions,  succeeded 
in  killing  some  seals  and  bears,  on  whose  coarse 
flesh  they  were  thankful  to  sustain  life.  On  the  1st 
February  they  caught  a  whale,  and  on  the  16th  a 
second,  which  afforded  great  relief,  especially  as 
other  fishes  were  attracted  by  the  desire  to  feed  on 
the  carcass  of  this  huge  animal.  Unfortunately  for 
their  repose,  the  sea  was  not  so  completely  frozen 
but  that  enormous  icebergs  were  still  tossing  through 
it  with  thundering  noise,  tearing  up  the  fields  by 
which  the  ship  was  surrounded.  On  the  22d  Feb- 
ruary, one  of  uncommon  magnitude  was  seen  bear- 
ing directly  upon  their  stem,  its  collision  with  which 
appeared  inevitable ;  whereupon  the  seamen  snatch- 
ing their  clothes,  leaped  out  upon  the  ice,  and  ran 
to  some  distance.  The  iceberg  rolled  on  with  a 
tremendous  crash,  breaking  the  field  into  fragments, 
and  hiding  from  their  view  the  ship,  which  they  ex- 
pected never  to  see  again ;  but  happily  it  passed  by, 
and  the  Dundee  appeared  from  behind  it  uninjured ; 
a  spectacle  that  was  hailed  with  three  enthusiastic 
cheers.  The  mariners  lost  sight  of  the  sun  for 
seventy-five  days,  during  which  they  suffered  such 
severe  cold,  that  they  could  not  walk  the  deck  for 
five  minutes  without  being  frost-bitten.  Luckily, 
they  were  able  to  pick  up  a  quantity  of  spars  and 
staves  belonging  to  the  Dutch  wreck,  which  afforded 
a  supply  of  fuel,  otherwise  they  must  have  perished 
from  the  intensity  of  the  frost.  By  great  good  for- 
tune, too,  the  body  of  ice  in  which  they  were  enclosed 
drifted  to  the  southward  more  than  eleven  degrees 
ffrom  74°  30',  down  to  63°),  or  about  800  miles,  and 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


337 


rely  desti- 
August  to 
ir  boats  to 
►f  Levely ; 
3oubt  was 
their  des- 
educed  to 
succeeded 
»8e  coarse 
On  the  1st 
the  16th  a 
lecially  as 
to  feed  on 
mately  for 
ely  frozen 
ng  through 
B  fields  by 
;  22d  Feb- 
seen  bear- 
with  which 
\en  snatch- 

and  ran 
with  a 
fragments, 
;h  they  ex- 
passed  by, 
uninjured ; 
rithusiastic 
e  sun  for 
Fered  such 
le  deck  for 

Luckily, 
spars  and 
;h  afforded 
e  perished 
i  good  for- 
•e  enclosed 
5n  degrees 
miles,  and 


e 
on 


was  thus  brought  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  Davis's 
Strait.  On  the  1st  April,  when  the  Lee,  Captain 
Lee,  of  Hull,  had  just  commenced  her  fishing,  the 
crew  were  agreeably  surprised  by  meeting  the  Dun- 
dee, whose  catastrophe  had  excited  the  greatest  in- 
terest at  home;  they  supplied  her  liberally  with 
provisions,  and  every  necessary  for  enabling  her  to 
reach  Britain.  The  vessel  was  accordingly  liberated 
on  the  16th  April,  and  on  the  2d  June  arrived  off 
Shetland,  whence  intelligence  was  immediately 
spread  of  this  happy  deliverance. 

One  of  the  most  affecting  shipwrecks  which  ever 
occurred  in  the  northern  seas  was  that  of  the  Jean, 
of  Peterhead,  in  1826.  Of  this  we  can  give  a  full 
account  from  an  interesting  narrative  by  Mr.  Gum- 
ming, the  surgeon,  an  eve-witness  and  sharer  of  the 
calamity.  This  vessel  sailed  on  the  15th  March, 
having  on  board  only  twenty-eight  men,  bwt  received 
at  Lerwick  a  complement  of  twenty-three  natives  of 
Shetland ;  owing  to  which  arrangement,  as  well  as 
by  contrary  winds,  she  was  detained  till  tho  28th. 
From  the  evening  of  that  day  to  the  1st  April,  the 
ship  encountered  very  stormy  weather,  which  she 
successfully  withstood,  and  was  then  steered  into 
those  western  tracts  of  the  Greenland  sea  which  are  the 
most  favourable  for  the  capture  of  the  seal.  On  the 
14th,  in  the  latitude  of  68°,  the  fishery  began  most 
prosperously.  In  one  day  the  seamen  killed  1138 
seals,  and  the  entire  number  caught  in  five  days 
exceeded  3070.  This  scene,  however,  could  not  be 
contemplated  without  some  painful  impressions. 
The  seals  attacked  were  only  the  young,  as  they  lay 
fearlessly  reposing  on  the  ice,  before  they  had  yet 
attempted  to  plunge  into  the  watery  element.  One 
blow  of  the  club  stunned  them  completely.  The  view 
of  hundreds  of  creaturesbearing  some  resemblance  to 
the  human  form,  writhing  in  the  agonies  of  death, 
and  the  deck  streaming  with  their  gore,  was  at  once 
dffitressing  and  disgusting  to  a  spectator  of  any  feel- 

F  f 


1    ki 


.r 


H\ 


338 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


Ml 


i' 


ing.    However,  this  evil  soon  gave  way  to  others  of 
a  more  serious  nature. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  April  the  sailors  had 
begun  their  fishery  as  uswal ;  but  a  breeze  sprung  up, 
and  obliged  them  by  eleven  o'clock  to  suspend  ope- 
rations. The  gale  continually  freshened,  and  was 
the  more  unpleasant  from  their  being  surrounded 
with  loose  ice,  which  a  dense  and  heavy  fog  made  it  im- 
possible to  distinguish  at  any  distance.  The  mariners 
took  in  all  sail,  but  did  not  apprehend  danger  till  six 
in  the  evening,  when  the  wind,  which  had  been  con- 
tinually increasing,  began  to  blow  with  tenfold  fury. 
All  that  the  narrator  had  ever  heard,  of  the  united 
sounds  of  thunder,  tempest,  and  waves,  seemed  faint 
when  compared  with  the  stunning  roar  of  this  hurri- 
cane. At  eight  the  ship  was  borne  upon  ^  stream 
of  ice,  from  which  she  received  several  severe  con- 
cussions ;  the  consequence  of  which  was  that  at  ten 
the  water  began  to  enter,  and  at  twelve  no  exertion 
in  pumping  could  prevent  her  from  being  gradually 
filled. 

At  one  in  the  morning  she  became  completely 
waterlogged.    She  then  fell  over  on  her  beam-ends, 
when  the  crew,  giving  themselves  up  for  lost,  clung 
to  the  nearest  object  for  immediate  safety.    By  judi- 
ciously cutting  away  the  main  and  fore  masts,  they 
happily  enabled  the  ship  to  right  herself,  when  being 
drifted  into  a  stream  of  ice,  she  was  no  longer  in 
danger  of  immediate  sinking.    The  whole  hull,  how- 
ever, was  inundated  and  indeed  immersed  in  water, 
except  a  portion  of  the  quarter-deck,  upon  which 
the  whole  crew  were  now  assembled.    Here  they 
threw  up  an  awning  of  sails  to  shelter  themselves 
from  the  cold,  which  had  become  so  intense  as  to 
threaten  the  extinction  of  life.    Those  endowed 
with  spirit  and  sense  kept  up  the  vital  power  by  brisk 
movement ;  but  the  natives  of  Shetland,  who  are 
accused  on  such  occasions  of  sinking  into  a  selfish 
despondency,  piled  themselves  together  in  a  heap, 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


339 


mothers  of 

lailoTS  had 
sprung  up, 
spend  ope- 
l,  and  was 
mrrounded 
made  it  im- 
le  mariners 
[ger  till  six 
I  been  con- 
infold  fury. 

the  united 
jemed  faint 

this  hurri- 
i  ^  stream 
severe  con- 
5  that  at  ten 
10  exertion 
g  gradually 

completely 
beam-ends, 

lost,  clung 

By  judi- 

nasts,  they 

when  being 

longer  in 

hull,how- 
d  in  water, 
ipon  which 

Here  they 
themselveft 
ense  as  to 
endowed 
ver  by  brisk 

d,  who  are 
■to  a  selfish 

in  a  heap, 


with  the  view  of  deriving  warmth  from  each  other's 
bodies.  Those  in  the  interior  of  the  mass  obtained 
thus  a  considerable  temperature,  though  accompanied 
with  severe  pressure ;  and  blows  were  ■  given,  and 
even  knives  drawn,  to  gain  and  to  preserve  this  ad- 
vantageous position.  On  the  19th,  one  Shetlander 
died  of  cold,  another  on  the  20th,  and  a  third  on  the 
2 1st, — events  felt  by  the  others  as  peculiarly  gloomy, 
cihiefly,  it  is  owned,  as  forming  a  presage  of  their 
own  impending  fate. 

On  the  22d  the  sun  began  to  appear  amid  showers 
of  snow ;  anu  the  23d  was  ushered  in  by  fine  weather 
and  a  clear  sky.  The  opinions  of  the  crew  were 
now  divided  as  to  what  course  they  should  steer  in 
search  of  deliverance.  Two  plans  were  suggested. 
They  could  either  stretch  northward  into  the  fishing 
stations,  where  they  might  expect,  sooner  or  later,  to 
meet  some  of  their  countrymen,  by  whom  they 
would  be  received  on  board;  or  they  might  sail 
southward  towards  Iceland,  and  throw  themselves 
on  the  hospitality  of  its  inhabitants.  The  former 
plan  was  in  several  respects  the  more  promising,  es- 
pecially as  a  vessel  had  been  in  sight  when  the  storm 
arose.  But  its  uncertainties  were  also  very  great. 
They  might  traverse  for  weeks  those  vast  icy  seas, 
amid  cold  always  increasing,  and  with  imminent 
danger  of  being  swallowed  up  by  the  waves.  Ice- 
land was  distant,  but  it  was  a  definite  point ;  and 
upon  this  course  they  at  last  wisely  determined. 
Several  days  were  spent  in  fitting  out  their  two  re- 
maining boats — all  the  others  having  been  swept 
away — and  in  fishing  up  from,  the  interior  of  the 
vessel  every  article  which  could  be  turned  to  account. 
During  this  operation,  the  weather  continuing  fine, 
they  could  not  forbear  admiring  the  scene  by  which 
they  were  surrounded.  The  sea  was  formed  as  it 
were  into  a  beautiful  little  frith,  by  the  ice  rising 
around  in  the  most  varied  and  fantastic  forms,  some- 
times even  assuming  the  appearance  of  cities  adpme^ 


s 


I- 


,1    I 


340 


NORTHERN   WHALE-FISHERY. 


^1 


with  towers  and  forests  of,  columns.  Continual 
efforts  were  necessary,  meantime,  to  keep  the  wreck 
on  the  icy  field ;  for  had  it  slipped  over  into  the  sea,  of 
which  there  appeared  a  strong  probability,  it  would 
have  gone  down  at  once.  By  the  26th  the  boats  were 
completely  ready,  having  on  board  a  small  stock  of 
provisions,  and  a  single  change  of  linen.  Athalf-^ 
past  one  in  the  morning  of  the  27th,  the  mariners 
took  leave,  with  some  sorrow,  of  the  vessel,  which 
"  seemed  a  home  even  in  ruins,"  leaving  the  deck 
strewed  with  clothes,  books,  and  provisions,  to  be 
swallowed  up  by  the  ocean  as  soon  as  the  icy  floor 
on  which  it  rested  should  melt  away. 

The  two  boats,  having  received  forty-seven  men 
on  board,  lay  very  deep  in  the  water ;  so  that  when 
a  smart  breeze  arose,  the  men  were  obliged  to  throw 
away  their  spare  clothing  and  every  thing  else  which 
could  be  wanted,  and  soon  saw  their  little  wardrobe 
floating  on  the  face  of  the  sea.  The  lepJcy  state  of 
one  of  the  barges  entailed  the  necessity  of  hauling 
it  on  a  piece  of  ice  to  be  repaired.  The  seamen 
were  frequently  obliged  also  to  drag  them  both  over 
large  fields,  and  again  to  lamich  them.  However, 
a  favourable  wind  in  ten  hours  enabled  them  to  make 
forty-one  miles,  when  they  came  to  the  utmost  verge 
of  the  icy  stream,  ?,nd  entered  upon  the  open  ocean. 
Their  fears  were  not  ye*  removed ;  for  if  a  heavy 
gale  had  arisen,  their  slei.aer  barks  must  soon  have 
been  overwhelmed.  There  blew  in  fact  a  stiff  breeze, 
which  threw  in  a  good  deal  of  water,  and  caused 
severe  cold ;  however,  at  seven  in  the  evening,  they 
saw,  with  inexpressible  pleasure,  though  dim  and 
distant,  the  lofty  and  snow-capped  mountains  of  Ice- 
Jand.  But  these  were  still  fifty  miles  off,  and  much 
might  intervene ;  so  that  the  night,  which  soon  closed 
in,  passed  with  a  mixture  of  joy  and  fear.  Fortunately 
the  morning  was  favourable ;  and  about  four  they  saw 
a  black  speck  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  It  proved 
to  be  an  ialand,  naked,  rocky,  and  seemingly  unin« 


I' 


i^^ 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


341 


C/Ontinual 
he  wreck 
he  sea,  of 
,  it  would 
oats  were 

stock  of 
Athalf^ 

mariners 
sel,  which 

the  deck 
ons,  to  be 
3  icy  floor 

leven  men 
that  when 
d  to  throw 
else  which 
I  wardrobe 
y  state  of 
of  hauling 
le  seamen 
.  both  over 
However, 
m  to  make 
nost  verge 
len  ocean, 
ff  a  heavy 
toon  have 
iflf breeze, 
d  caused 
|ning,  they 
dim  and 
ns  of  Ice- 
land much 
on  closed 
irtunately 
they  saw 
It  proved 
gtyunin* 


habited ;  yet  to  set  foot  on  any  shore,  however  wild 
and  desolate,  promised  a  temporary  relief.  On 
turning  a  promontory,  what  was  their  joy  to  see  a 
boat  pushing  out  to  meet  them !  and  they  were  re- 
ceived by  the  natives  of  Grimscy  (the  name  of  the 
little  island)  with  every  mark  of  kindness  and  com- 

Eassion.  The  seamen  were  distributed  among  the 
alf-subterraneous  abodes,  and  received  a  portion 
of  the  frugal  and  scanty  fare  on  which  the  inha- 
bitants subsisted.  They  were  long  without  any 
means  of  communication  by  speech ;  but  at  length 
the  clergyman  appeared,  who  was  able  to  converse 
in  Latin  with  Mr.  Gumming.  The  latter,  inquiring 
how  his  countrymen  could  best  reach  the  mainland, 
was  informed,  that  the  islanders  wou^d  assist  in  con- 
veying them  to  Akureyri,  a  small  town,  the  residence 
of  the  nearest  Danish  governor,  though  situated  at 
the  distance  of  sixty-eight  miles.  Accordingly,  at 
seven  in  the  morning  of  the  2d  May,  they  set  sail, 
and,  after  a  tedious  voyage,  reached  at  nine  in  the 
evening  the  coast  of  Iceland.  They  rowed  along 
the  shore,  touching  at  various  points,  where  they  were 
hospitably  received ;  till  on  Thursday,  4th  May,  they 
saw  a  cluster  of  irregular  wooden  structures.,  which, 
to  their  surprise,  proved  to  be  Akureyri,  the  capital 
of  this  quarter  of  the  island.  They  were  here  also 
received  with  the  most  humane  hospitality,  and  re- 
mained three  months  before  they  could  obtain  a  pas- 
sage home ;  during  which  delay  unfortunately  they 
lost  nine  of  their  number,  chiefly  from  mortification 
and  other  morbid  affections  occasioned  by  extreme 
cold.  In  the  middle  of  July,  they  procured  a  passage 
in  a  Danish  vessel,  which  brought  them  and  their 
boats  near  to  the  coast  of  Shetland.  Having  landed 
at  Lerwick,  they  were  conveyed  by  his  Majesty's 
ship  Investigator  to  Peterhead,  where  they  arrived 
on  the  5th  August. 

The  whale-fishery  deserves  finally  to  be  consi- 
dered in  its  commercial  relations,  under  which  as« 

Ff3 


m% 


^l:^i 


'  I 

■   I 

«  I 


342 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


iji 


pect  it  possesses  considerable  importance,  whether 
we  consider  the  capital  invested,  or  the  amount  and 
value  of  the  proceeds. 

The  first  and  principal  employment  of  capital  in 
this  trade  consists  in  the  construction  and  fitting  out 
of  the  vessels  adapted  for  its  various  purposes.  This 
expense  greatly  exceeds  that  of  other  ships  of  the 
same  dimensions,  owing  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
timbers  must  be  doubled  and  fortified,  the  necessity 
of  having  seven  boats,  a  copious  supply  of  line,  nu- 
merous casks,  and  fishing  implements.  Mr.  Scoresby 
states,  that  the  Resolution  of  Whitby,  of  291  tons, 
was  built  in  1803  with  all  these  equipments,  but 
without  the  outfit  for  a  particular  voyage,  at  6331/. 
In  1813,  the  Esk  of  Whitby,  of  354  tons,  cost 
14,000/. ;  but  this  included  the  outlay  for  her  first  ad- 
venture, which,  being  supposed  to  amount  to  1700/., 
would  make  the  expense  of  building  and  equipment 
only  12,300/.  The  sum  of  14,000/.  is  stated  to  us 
from  Hull,  as  the  estimate  for  building  and  furnishing 
at  that  port  a  ship  of  350  tons,  in  the  year  1812.  Since 
this  last  period  a  great  reduction  has  taken  place. 
Mr.  Cooper,  in  1824,  reported  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, that  the  sum  required  was  only  10,000/.  Ac- 
cording to  the  information  received  in  July,  1830> 
from  the  different  ports,  we  find  that  such  a  ship 
may  now  be  built  and  completely  equipped  for  about 
8000/.  A  Dundee  correspondent  calculates  that  half 
of  this  sum  is  expended  in  carpenter  work,  and  the 
other  half  in  sails,  rigging,  casks,  Unes,  and  other 
fishing  apparatus. 

Besides  this  original  cost,  a  large  annual  expen- 
diture is  incurred  in  the  prosecution  of  the  fishery. 
There  is  first  the  outfit,  being  the  provisions  and 
other  supplies  put  on  board  before  the  ship  goes  to 
sea.  Mr.  Scoresby  states  the  expense  of  fitting  out 
the  Resolution  of  Whitby  in  1803,  to  have  amounted 
to  1470/. — namely,  provisions^  coals,  &c.  769/. ;  in- 
surance, 413/.;  advance-money   to  seamen,  288/. 


■A, 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


343 


The  statements  forwarded  at  the  present  date  (July 
1830),  from  the  several  ports  upon  this  subject,  vary 
in  a  remarkable  degree.  At  Leith  the  estimate  is 
from  700^  to  1200/. ;  Aberdeen,  1400/. ;  Peterhead, 
from  1200/.  to  1500/. ;  while  at  Hull  this  outfit  is 
reckoned  at  2000/.,  expressly  stated  as  exclusive  of 
seamen^s  wages.  Probably  there  may  have  been 
some  difference  as  to  the  articles  included  in  these 
estimates.  An  English  crew,  besides,  may  expect  to 
be  more  amply  provisioned,  vhile  the  voyage  from 
Hull  is  undoubtedly  somewhat  longer.  To  this  first 
outlay  must  be  added  the  expenses  incurred  in  pro- 
secuting the  fishery,  and  in  preparing  the  cargo  for 
sale.  The  pay  of  the  master  and  harpooners  is 
very  judiciously  made  to  depend  almost  entirely 
upon  their  success.  They  receive  a  certain  sum  for 
every  whale  struck,  and  afterward  for  every  ton  of 
oil  extracted.  The  seamen,  also,  though  they  must 
have  their  monthly  wages,  obtain  additional  allow- 
ances in  the  event  of  a  prosperous  voyage.  At  Pe- 
terhead, it  is  estimated,  that  if  a  ship  comes  home 
clean,  the  entire  loss  will  exceed  2000/. ;  while  from 
Hull  we  have  received  a  calculation,  that  the  total 
expense  of  a  voyage,  which  produces  200  tons  of 
oil,  will  be  3500/.,  exclusive  of  insurance. 

From  these  data  we  may  form  some  estimate  of 
the  entire  capital  invested  in  the  trade.  Although 
the  number  of  ships  annually  sent  out  scarcely  ex- 
ceeds ninety,  it  is  probable  that  there  may  be  at  least 
a  hundred  in  a  state  fit  for  sailing.  The  annual  ex- 
penditure on  each  may  be  averaged  at  3000/.  The 
value  of  wharves,  warehouses,  machinery  for  ex- 
tracting the  oil,  &c.  was  stated  by  Mr.  Cooper  to 
the  House  of  Commons  as  amounting  at  Hull  to 
60,000/.  or  70,000/. ;  and  as  that  port  enjoys  about  a 
third  of  the  trade,  these  establishments  may  pro- 
bably amount  altogether  to  200,000/.  We  thus  ob- 
tain 


1. 1    ■ 

I 


i 


^  1 


#; 


I  I 


344  NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHi^Ty. 

100  ships  at  £8000, ,  £.800,000 

90  voyages  at  £3000, 270,000 

Warehouses,  &c 200,000 

Capital  invested,  ....  £1,270,000 

The  produce  of  the  fishery  consists  of  oil  and  of 
whalebone ;  none  of  the  other  articles,  in  an  esti- 
mate of  this  kind,  being  worthy  of  much  considera- 
tion. The  prices  of  these  two  commodities  vary 
greatly,  both  at  different  periods  and  from  one  year 
to  another. 

Whale-oil,  in  1742,  is  stated  to  have  sold  for  18/. 
per  ton ;  but  in  the  following  year  it  fell  to  14/.  In 
1801,  it  rose  so  high  as  50/.,  but  in  1802,  was  only 
31/.,  and  in  1807,  had  sunk  so  low  as  21/.  In  1813, 
it  reached  a  b^'^her  price  than  ever,  the  finest  quality 
being  sold  for  60/. ;  but  the  prosperous  fisheiy  of 
1814  brought  it  down  to  32/.  There  has  been  since, 
on  the  whole,  a  considerable  reduction  of  price, 
chiefly,  it  may  be  presumed,  from  the  extensive  use 
of  coal  gas.  Mr.  Scoresby  reckons  the  average  of 
the  nineteen  years,  ending  with  1818,  at  34/.,  I5s. 
while  an  intelligent  correspondent  at  Aberdeen  states 
that  of  the  last  ten  at  22/.  5*.  The  current  price 
(July,  1830),  is  given  in  the  Scotch  ports  at  from  24/. 
to  26/. ;  in  Hull  at  24/. 

Whalebone  bore  anciently  a  very  high  price,  when 
the  rigid  stays  and  the  expanded  hoops  of  our  grand-. 
mothers  produced  an  extensive  demand  for  this  com- 
modity. The  Dutch  have  occasionally  obtained  700/. 
per  ton,  and  were  accustomed  to  draw  100,000/.  an- 
nually from  England  for  that  one  article.  Even  in 
1763  it  still  brought  500/.,  but  soon  fell,  and  has 
never  risen  again  to  the  same  value.  Durinff  the 
present  century,  the  price  has  varied  between  60/.  and 
300/.,  seldom  falling  to  the  lowest  rate,  and  rarely 
exceeding  160/.  Mr.  Scoresby  reckons  the  price  in 
the  five  years  ending  1818,  at  90/.,  while  9X  present 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


345 


i 


)0,000 

ro,ooo 

)0,000 

ro,ooo 

[  and  of 
an  esti- 
nsidera- 
ies  vary 
)ne  year 

i  for  18/. 
14Z.  In 
iras  only 
In  1813, 
t  quality 
jhery  of 
3n  smce, 
)f  price, 
sive  use 
erage  of 
I/.,  159. 
m  states 
nt  price 
rom  24/. 

e,wheR 
r  grand-- 
lis  com- 
led  700/. 
100/.  an- 
Even  in 
and  has 
rinff  the 
60/.  and 
rarely 
price  in 
present 


(July,  1830)  it  is  stated  from  the  different  ports  to  be 
from  160/.  to  180/.  This  is  for  what  is  called  the  size* 
bone,  or  such  pieces  as  measure  six  feet  or  upwards  in 
length ;  those  below  this  standard  are  usually  sold 
at  half-price.  It  may  appear  singular  that  whale- 
bone should  rise  while  oil  has  been  so  decidedly 
lowered ;  but  the  one  change,  it  is  obvious,  causes 
the  other.  Oil,  being  the  main  product  of  the  fishery, 
regulates  its  extent,  which  being  diminished  by  the 
low  price,  the  quantity  of  whalebone  is  lessened, 
while  the  demand  for  it  continuing  as  great  as  before, 
the  value  consequently  rises. 

The  whale-fishery,  for  one  ship  and  one  season,  is 
a  complete  lottery,  the  result  of  which,  according  to 
the  skill  and  good  fortune  of  the  persons  employed, 
fluctuates  between  a  large  profit  and  a  seveie  loss. 
Sometimes  a  vessel  is  so  unlucky  as  to  return  clean; 
another  brings  only  one  fish ;  while  eight  or  nine, 
producing  about  ninety  tons  of  oil,  are  considered 
necessary  to  make  an  average  voyage.  There  are 
fortunate  instances  of  a  much  larger  produce.  The 
greatest  cargo  ever  known  by  Scoresby  to  have  been 
brought  from  the  northern  seas  was  that  of  Captain 
Souter,  of  the  Resolution  of  Peterhead,  in  1814.  It 
consisted  of  forty-four  whales,  yielding  299  tons  of 
oil,  which,  even  at  the  reduced  rate  of  32/.,  sold  for 
9668/.,  raised  by  the  whalebone  and  bounty  to  about 
11,000/.  In  1813,  both  the  elder  and  younger  Mr. 
Scoresby  brought  cargoes,  loss  in  quantity,  indeed, 
but  which,  from  the  oil  selling  at  60/.  per  ton,  yield- 
ed a  still  greater  return.  The  former,  in  the  course 
of  twenty-eight  voyages,  killed  498  whales,  whence 
were  extracted  4246  tons  of  oil,  the  value  of  which 
and  of  the  whalebone  exceeded  150,000/. ;  all  drawn 
by  him  out  of  the  depths  of  the  northern  ocean. 

The  Dutch  have  published  tables,  exhibiting  the 
results  of  their  fishery  for  the  space  of  107*  years,  be- 

•  The  years  1673, 1673,  and  1674,  are  not  included,  the  war  with 
France  having  caused  a  Buspension  of  the  fishery. 


n  I 


r '  i>l 


il.^ 


346 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


1 


tween  1669  and  1778,  both  inclusive.  During  that 
period  they  sent  to  Greenland  14,167  ships,  of  which 
561,  or  about  four  in  the  hundred,  were  lost.  They 
took  57,590  whales,  yielding  3,105,596  quardeelen* 
of  oil,  and  93,179,860  pounds  of  bone,  wWch  yielded 
a  value  of  18,631, 292/. f  The  expense  of  fitting  out 
the  ships  amounted  to  11,879,619/.  Value  of  ships 
lost  470,422/.  Expense  of  preparing  the  oil,  bone, 
&c.,  2,567,109/.  Total  expenses,  14,917,150/. ;  leav- 
ing a  profit  of  3,714,142/.  The  Davis's  Straiffishery, 
between  1719  and  1778,  employed  3161  vessels,  of 
which  62  were  lost.  The  produce  was  4,288,235/., 
which,  deducting  3,410,987/.  of  expenses,  left  a  profit 
of  877,248/.  The  Greenland  fishery  would  thus  have 
yielded  a  profit  of  about  25  per  cent.,  and  the  Davis's 
Strait  of  about  26  per  cent. ;  but  it  niay  be  observed, 
that  the  Dutch,  in  their  estimate  of  expenses,  have 
not  included  the  original  cost  of  the  vessels.  In  the 
subsequent  years,  from  1785  down  to  1794,  the  num- 
ber of  ships  was  reduced  to  sixty,  and  the  trade  is 
said  to  have  been  carried  on  with  absolute  loss. 

The  British  fishery  has  lately  yielded  a  produce 
and  value  much  exceeding  that  of  the  Dutch  during 
the  period  of  its  greatest  prosperity.  In  the  five 
years  ending  with  1818,  there  were  imported  into 
England  and  Scotland  68,940  tuns  of  oil,  and  3420 
tons  of  whalebone ;  which,  valuing  the  oil  at  36/., 
10s.,  and  the  bone  at  90/.,  with  10,000/.  in  skins, 
raised  the  entire  produce  to  2,834,110/.  sterling,  or 
566,822/.  per  annum.  The  fishery  of  1814,  a  year 
peculiarly  fortunate,  produced  1437  whales  from 
Greenland,  yielding  12,132  tuns  of  oil,  which,  even  at 
the  lower  rate  of  32/.,  including  the  whalebone  and 
bounty,  and  added  to  the  produce  from  Davis's  Strait, 
formed  altogether  a  value  of  above  700,000/. 

*  A  qiiardeel  of  oil  contains  from  18  to  31  stekans,  or  from  77  to  9C 
imperial  standard  gallons ;  and  100  Dutch  pounds  are  equal  to  109  Ik 
avoirdupois  nearly. 

t  In  converting  the  Dutch  ettimatea  into  English  monejr,  the  florin  Ui 
valued  at  90i<f.  iterlinft* 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 


847 


^t 


ring  that 
of  which 
;.  They 
.rdeelen* 
I  yielded 
tting  out 

of  ships 
)il,  bone, 
'/. ;  leav- 
t'fishery, 
sssels,  of 
J88,235/., 
t  a  profit 
hus  have 
J  Davis's 
ibserved, 
jes,  have 
.  In  the 
the  num- 

trade  is 
loss. 

produce 
;n  during 

the  five 
rted  into 
and  3420 
I  at  36/., 
in  skins, 
Bfling,  or 
I,  a  year 
les  from 
1,  even  at 
bone  and 
j's  Strait, 
I 

torn  77  to  9f 
lal  to  109  Ihi 

,  Uie  florin  ii 


;• 


The  following  has  been  furnished  to  us  from  an 
Authentic  source  as  the  result  of  the  fishery  of  the  year 
1829,  distinguishing  the  ports : — 


Ports. 

No.  of 
Ships. 

Tonnage. 

Fish. 

84 
11 
77 

339 
51 
71 
2 
39 
45 

118 
34 

Oil. 

BONB.          1 

Tuns. 

1171 
147 

1005 

3982 
649 
862 
32 
481 
541 

1445 
357 

Tons. 

Cwt. 

Aberdeen 

Berwick 

Dundee 

Hull 

11 
1 
9 

33 
4 
7 
2 
4 
3 

12 
3 

3322 

.309 

3031 

10,899 

1261 

2393 

714 

1301 

1103 

3429 

1050 

63 

8 

54 

235 

37 

48 

2 

27 

29 

78 

21 

14 

16 

9 

19 

0 

4 

3 

11 

10 

16 

8 

Kirkcaldy 

Leith 

London  

Munlrose 

Newcastle  .... 
Peterhead  .... 
Whitby 

Totals . . 

89 

28,812 

871 

10,672 

607 

110 

ESTIMATED  VALUE. 

10,672  tuns*  of  oil  at  25/ 266,800/. 

607i  tons  whalebone  at  180/ 109,350/. 

376,150/. 

In  the  Commercial  Tables  presented  to  the  House 
of  Commons  in  1830,  the  entire  proceeds  of  last  year 
are  stated  at  428,591/.  6s.  6d,;  but  this,  of  course, 
includes  also  the  southern  fishery.  Of  this  amount 
there  were  exported  to  foreign  countries,  oil  to  the 
value  of  73,749/.  10s.  6(/.,  ana  whalebone  amounting 
to  40,666/.  15s.  ed,;  making  in  all,  114,416/.  6s,  It 
may  be  mentioned,  that  this  trade  is  now  carried 
on  entirely  without  legislative  encouragement,  the 
bounty  having  ceased  to  be  granted  since  the  year 
1824. 

*  It  may  be  observed  that,  tn  all  tnese  statements,  the  measure  em- 
ployed is  the  tun  of  893  old  wine  gallons,  equal  to  209  9-lOths  imperial 
Handard  galloni. 


!      )l 


i: 


348 


"NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERT. 


.,f 


i 


!j1 


l"i 


There  has  also  been  a  somewhat  sin^lar  change 
in  the  ports  from  which  the  fishery  is  chiefly  carried 
on.  In  London  were  undertaken  all  the  discoveries 
which  led  to  its  establishment ;  and  for  some  time  a 
complete  monopoly  was  enjoyed  by  the  great  com- 
panies formed  in  that  city.  Even  between  the  years 
1780  and  1790,  the  metropolis  sent  out  four  times 
the  number  of  vessels  that  sailed  from  any  other 
port.  It  was  observ^ed,  however,  that  her  fishery 
was  on  the  whole  less  fortunate  than  that  of  the  new 
rivals  which  had  sprung  up;  and  her  merchants 
were  so  much  discouraged,  that,  in  Mr.  Scoresby's 
time,  they  equipped  only  seventeen  or  eighteen  ves- 
sels. They  have  since  almost  entirely  abandoned 
the  tradcj  employing  last  year  and  the  present  not 
more  than  two  ships.  Hull  early  became  a  rival  to 
London,  having  sent  out  vessels  at  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  fishery.  Although  checked  at 
first  by  the  monopoly  of  the  great  companies,  as 
soon  as  the  trade  be(;ame  free,  she  prosecuted  it  with 
distinguished  success.  In  the  end  of  the  last  century 
that  town  attained,  and  has  ever  since  preserved, 
the  character  of  the  first  whale-fishing  port  in  Bri- 
tain. Whitby  engaged  in  this  pursuit  in  1753,  and 
carried  it  on  for  some  time  with  more  than  common 
succes? ;  but  her  operations  have  since  been  much 
limited.  Liverpool,  after  embarking  in  the  under- 
taking with  spirit,  has  now  entirely  relinquished  it. 
Meantime  the  eaetern  ports  of  Scotland  have  steadily 
carried  on,  and  even  extended  their  transactions, 
while  those  of  the  country  at  large  were  diminish- 
ing. The  increase  has  been  most  remarkable  at 
Peterhead ;  and  indeed  this  town,  as  compared  espe- 
cially with  London,  must  derive  a  great  advantage 
from  avoiding,  both  in  the  outward  and  homeward 
voyage,  600  miles  of  somewhat  difficult  navigation. 

The  following  summary  has  been  collected  from 
Mr.  Scoresby,  as  the  average  quantity  of  shipping 
fitted  out  in  the  different  ports  for  nine  years  ending 


NORTHERN   WHALE-nSHERT. 


349 


r  change 

jr  carried 

icoveries 

le  time  a 

eat  com- 

;he  years 

ur  times 

ny  other 

r  fishery 

'the  new 

lerchants 

Moresby's 

teen  ves- 

5andoned 

jsent  not 

a  rival  to 

Bry  com- 

ecked  at 

anies,  as 

ed  it  with 

t  century 

reserved, 

t  in  Bri- 

[753,  and 

common 

en  much 

e  under- 

ished  it. 

steadily 

sactions, 

iminish- 

cable  at 

ed  espe- 

Ivantage 

meward 

ligation. 

ted  from 

shipping 

ending 


with  1818;  ind  the  comparison  of  it  with  the  num- 
ber sent  out  in  1830,  will  show  the  Dresent  state  of 
the  trade : —  . . ' 

Average  of 

1810-18.  1830 

England, — Berwick, ij  i 

Grimsby, i|  o 

Hull,     , 53J  33 

Liverpool, i|  o 

London, 17|  2 

Lynn, il  o 

Newcastle, 43  3 

Whitby, 8|  2 

9li  41 

ScoTiiAND, — Aberdeen, lOf  10 

Banff, , . .  f  0 

Burntisland, 0  1 

Dundee, 7^  9 

Greenock, f  l 

Kirkcaldy, |  6 

Kirkwall, |  o 

Leith, ,8}  7 

Montrose, 2*  4 

Peterhead, ej  13 

40i  60 

Total, ,..ir>ij  91 

The  following  list  of  the  ships,  sent  out  in  1830, 
with  the  tonnage  and  mastars,  may  interest  some 
classes  of  readers ; —     ^ 

Gg 


iFli': 


V    { 


i!" 


n 


M 


\^i 


360 


NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY 


HULL 33. 


^1^^ 


Tonnage. 

Abram,  Jac^«(m 319 

Alfred,  Brass 322 

Andrew  Marvel,  Orton. .  377 

Ariel,  Rogers 340 

Brunswick,  Blyth 357 

Comet,  Woodall 311 

Cumbrian,  Munroe.  .  .  .  374 

Dorton,  Linskill 285 

Duncombe,  Scoffin,  .  . .  275 

Eagle,  Wright 289 

Ellison,  Jackson 360 

Everthorpe,  Johnston.  .  351 

Gilder,  M'Kenzie 360 

Harmony,  Bramham.  .  .  364 

Harmony,  Parker 300 

Ingtia,    Wilson 316 

Isabella,  Humphrey.  .  .  374 


Tonnage. 

Jane,  Maddison 359 

Kiero,  Martin 362 

Kirkella,  Carlill f  410 

Laurel,  Manger 321 

Lee,  Lee 363 

Lord  Wellington,  Harri- 
son  354 

Mary  Frances,  Coldray.  385 
North  Briton,  St&ry.  .  262 
Oxenhope,  Mcintosh.  ,  .  286 
Progress,  Dannatt.  .  .  .  307 

Swan,  Dring 320 

Venerable,  Bennett. . .  .  328 
Volunteer,  Markham. . .  305 
William,  North.  .  .  .  «  .  350 
William  Torr,  Dannatt.  281 
Zephyr,  Ash 342 


LONDON— 2. 

Margaret,  Float 351  |  Neptune,   Wallace*  ...  291 

WHITBY — 2. 

Phoenix,  Mills 324  |  William  and  Ann,  Terry.  362 

NEWCASTLE^— 3. 


Cove,  Palmer 373 

GrenvilleBay,  Warham.  340 


Lady  Jane,  Fleming,  .  .  390 


BERWICK — I. 

Notfolk,  Harrison 310 

.  KIRKCALDY — 6. 


Caledonia,  Todd 27'c' 

Earl  Percy,  Stewart. . .  31S 
Egginton,  Stodart 336 


Rambler,  Watroiu  ....  283 
Triad,  Young. HBl 


BURNTISLAND — 1. 

Majestic,  Davidson* 


Tonuage. 
.  ...  359 

362 

. .  .  f  410 

321 

363 

larri- 

.  ...  354 

'dray.  385 
Try.  .  262 
sh.  .  .  286 

t 307 

320 

t 328 

im. . .  305 

....  350 

nnatt.  281 

342 

u  ...  291 

NORTHERN  WHALE-FISHERY. 

LEITH — 7, 


351 


Tonnage. 

Baffin,  Smith 321 

Juno,  Lyall 345 

North  Pole,  Smith.  .  . .  312 
Prince  of  Orange,  GuthrieZ59 


Tonnage. 
Rattler,  Stodart 348 

Ulverstone,  Listen.  .  .  .  354 
William  and  Ann,  Smith  388 


ABERDEEN 10. 


Alexander,  Allan,  ....  252 
Bon  Accord,  Parker.  .  .  364 

Dee,  Cook 319 

Hercules,  Reid, 252 

Lsetitia,  Clark 318 


Middleton,  James 298 

Middleton,  Mills 329 

Neptune,  Brace 282 

Princess  of  Wales,  Gray  308 
Saint  Andrew,  Retd.  .  .  313 


PETERHEAD— 13. 


Commerce,   Cordtner.  .  241 
*Eclipse,  Penny.  <>....  287 

Gleaner,  Shand 262 

Hannibal,  Birnie 315 

Hope,  Volum 251 

James,  Hogg 346 

♦Mary,  Stewart 157 


♦Perseverance,  Ogston.  240 

Resolution,  Philip 400 

Resolution,  Hogg 291 

Superior,  Manson 306 

Traveller,  Simpson. ...  ^.90 
♦Union,  Mackie 224 


Achilles,  Thorns.  .....  367 

Advice,  Deuchars 324 

Dorothy,  Davidson,  . .  .  369 

Fairy,  Wdch 247 

Friendship,  Chapman.  .  304 


DUNDEE — 9. 

Horn,  Stevenson 370 

Princess  Charlotte,  Adam- 

son 357 

Thomas,  Thoms 356 

ThreeBrothers,  Cameron  339 


MONTROSE— 6. 

Eliza  Swan,  Fulton.  , .  306 

London,  Burn 345 

Monarch,  Davidson, , .  <  311 


Spencer,  Robertson.  . .  .  340 
John  of  Greenock,  Comb  316 


In  all,  ninety-one  ships, — four  of  which,  marked  thus  ♦, 
were  for  Greenland,  all  the  others  for  Davis^s  Strait. 


1 
i 


' 


f        .w  I 


t 

! 


\"-. 


IliU: 


1 


352 


ARCTIC  UEOLOGY. 


CHAPTER  X. 


H 


'<:'  I 


Arctic  Geology. 

The  Geology  of  Spltzbergen,  of  East  or  Old  Green- 
land, and  the  countries  examined  and  discovered  by 
Ross,  Parry,  Scoresby,  and  Clavering,  although  as 
yet  but  imperfectly  known,  is  far  from  being  unin- 
teresting. It  exhibits  the  same  series  of  rocks,  and 
the  same  general  arrangements,  as  occur  in  other 
countries,  the  geognostical  structure  of  which  has 
been  thoroughly  explored :  The  fossil  organic  remains 
which,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  afford  so  much  in- 
formation in  regard  to  the  former  condition  of  the 
climate,  seas,  animals,  p;id  vegetables  of  the  globe, 
are  not  wanting  in  these  remote  and  desolate  regions ; 
and,  last^^  the  Arctic  Geology  has  afforded  to  the 
mineralogist  specimens  of  many  of  the  rarer,  and  of 
some  of  the  more  precious  minerals  and  ores : — 

1.  North  Cape,  Cherie  Island,  Hope  Island,  The 
Thousand  Islands,  Spitzbergen,  and  Rosses  Islet 

North  Cape. — The  great  primitive  land  of  Scan- 
dinavia continues  onward  to  the  extreme  point  of 
Norway :  but  in  this  high  latitude  some  new  forma- 
tions make  their  appearance  among  the  older.  The 
sandstone-quartz  of  Alten  has  been  known  since  the 
travels  of  the  celebrated  Baron  Von  Buch.  On  the 
east,  towards  the  Russian  dominions,  there  is  a  con- 
siderabl*?  trrift  which  deviates  more  from  the  primi- 
tive foi  nation  than  the  sandstone-quartz  of  Alton 
does.  Sandstone  and  conglomerate  extend  across  the 
subjaccht  gneiss  in  a  horizontal  position.  These 
evidently  secondary  rocks  probably  belong  to  the  old 
red  saiidbtoue  formation  of  some  authors.    Hence^ 


I 
I 


HOPE   ISLAND. 


353 


i  Green- 
^ered  by 
ough  as 
ig  unin- 
cks,  and 
in  other 
liich  has 
remains 
auch  in- 
in  of  the 
le  globe, 
regions ; 
d  to  the 
r,  and  of 
ps: — 
nd,  The 
let 

)f  Scan- 
poini  of 
forma- 
.  The 
nee  the 
On  the 
8  a  con- 
e  primi- 
f  Alton 
ross  the 
These 
the  old 
Hence, 


in  Finmark  we  find  ourselves  on  the  edge  of  a  great 
secondary  basin, 

Cherie  Island, — The  first  land  which  rises  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean  in  the  Arctic  sea,  beyond  the 
North  Cape,  is  the  small  Cherie  Island  (Bear  Island), 
about  10  miles  long,  in  north  latitude  74°  30Mong. 
20°  E.,  which  is  entirely  composed  of  secondary  rocks 
horizontally  stratified,  and  cut  perpendicularly  on  the 
coast  into  cliffs.  The  principal  rocks  are  sandstone 
and  limestone^  in  which  veins  of  leadglance  or  sul- 
phuret  of  lead,  sometimes  containing  native  silver, 
occur.  The  limestone  abounds  in  shells  in  a  fossil 
state ;  but  shells  very  different  from  those  that  at 
present  inhabit  these  northern  seas :  the  sandstone 
contains  a  bed  of  coal,  from  two  to  four  feet  thick, — 
a  fact  subversive  of  that  opinion  which  maintains  that 
coal  is  wanting  in  Arctic  countries.  In  Scoresby's 
drawing  of  Cherie  Island  three  conical  hills  are  re- 
presented ;  these,  in  all  probability,  are  of  igneous 
origin,  probably  secondary  trap. 

Hope  Island  and  The  Thousand  Islands, — Farther 
towards  the  north  the  depth  of  the  sea  is  so  incon- 
siderable and  unvarying,  that  seamen,  after  seeing 
the  horizontal  strata  of  Cherie  Island,  conclude  that, 
in  their  course  northward,  they  sail  first  over  the 
horizontal  basis  of  Cherie  Island,  and  next  over  strata 
which  are  visible  in  Hope  Island  and  the  Archipelago 
of  The  Thousand  Islands.  The  strata  visible  in 
Hope  Island  and  the  Archipelago  of  The  Thousand 
Islands  are  said  to  be  of  blackish  clay-'Slate,  Hope 
Island,  situate  on  the  south  coast  of  Edge's  Island, 
lies  in  N.  lat.  76°  20',  and  longitude  20°  E.  It  is 
nine  leagues  long,  but  scarcely  a  mile  broad,  and 
lies  N.E.  by  E.,  and  S.W.  by  W.  It  consists  of  five 
n\ountains ;  the  northernmost  one  is  the  highest ;  and 
those  succeediniT  diminish  gradually  in  size.  The 
Thousand  Islands  is  a  large  group  of  small  isles  in- 
terposed between  Hope  Island  and  the  south  coast 

of  Edge's  Island. 

Gb3 


354 


ARCTIC  GEOLOGY. 


Spitzhergen, — This  large  island,  although  not  the 
most  northern  known  land,  is  nearly  so.  It  lies 
between  latitudes  76°  ZQf  and  80^  T  N.,  and  between 
the  longitudes  9°  and  33°  E.  On  taking  a  general 
view  of  this  island,  the  principal  object  that  strikes 
the  eye  are  numberless  mountain-peaks,  ridges,  and 
precipices,  rising  immediately  from  the  sea  often  to 
a  height  from  3000  to  4500  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
The  various  brown,  green,  and  purple  tints  of  the 
land,  as  seen  from  a  distance,  are  strikingly  con- 
trasted with  the  snow-capped  summits,  ridges,  and 
acclivities,  and  the  valleys  filled  with  snow  or  with 
glacier-ice ;  which  latter  often  extend  downwards  to 
the  coast,  forming  splendid  and  lofty  icy-cliffs,  from 
100  to  400  feet  high.  On  the  east  coast  are  two 
large  islands,  viz.  Edge's  Island  and  Korth'tast 
Land. 

On  approaching  towards  the  west  side  of  Stans- 
foreland,  on  the  east  coast  of  Edge's  Land  or  Island, 
between  77°  and  78°  north  latitude,  the  lowest  rock 
is  a  coarse  granular  trap,  split  by  means  of  vertical 
rents  into  imperfect  columns.  This  bed  forms  a  flat 
extent  of  coast  of  about  ten  miles  and  a  quarter  broad, 
and  forty-one  miles  long ;  and  is  the  base  or  funda- 
mental rock  of  an  alternation  of  Jine  granular  sand- 
stone^  an  arenaceous  marl-slate,  compact  siliceous 
limestone,  and  frequent  repetitions  of  the  trap-rock. 
Organic  remains  were  not  met  with  either  in  the 
sandstone  or  limestone  by  Professor  Keilhau ;  but  in 
some  specimens  collected  at  Cape  Faneshaw,  in  that 
part  of  Spitzbergen  named  JVew  Friesland,  by  the 
officers  of  Captain  Parry's  expedition,  we  noticed 
silicified  madrepores,  retepores,  orthoceratites,  tere- 
hratulites,  and  cardites.  This  same  formation  extends 
to  north  latitude  80°,  and  is  conjectured  by  Kielhau 
to  form  the  greater  part  of  East  Spitzbergen.  It  is 
true  that  some  boulders  of  granite  weie  met  with, 
but  these  may  have  come  from  the  great  primitive 
chain  of  West  Spitzbergen.  Professor  Keilhau  found 


"■  \ 


SPITZBEROEN. 


365 


1  not  the 
It  lies 

between 
I  general 
it  strikes 
Iges,  and 
I  often  to 
iea-level. 
ts  of  the 
gly  con- 
dges,  and 
7  or  with 
iwards  to 
iflfs,  from 

are  two 
^''orih'Cast 

of  Stans- 

JT  Island, 

vest  rock 

f  vertical 

Irms  a  flat 

ter  broad, 

or  funda- 

Jar  sand' 

siliceous 

rap-rock. 

r  in  the 

u;  but  in 

V,  in  that 

by  the 

noticed 

"teSi  tere- 

1  extends 

Kielhau 

n.    It  is 

let  with, 

)rimitive 

au  found 


an  interesting  deposite  of  shell-clay  in  Stansforeland, 
in  which  the  same  kinds  of  fossil-shells  were  found 
as  in  a  similar  clay  on  the  southern  coasts  of  Norway. 
This  deposite  extends  onwards  nine  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  shore,  and  rises  100  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  the  sea.  Bones  of  whales  have  been  seen 
in  The  Thousand  Isles,  at  a  considerable  height 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  probably  imbedded  in 
this  shell-clay.  Are  we  to  infer,  from  the  situation 
of  this  modem  clay,  that  Spitzbergen  has  risen  from 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  at  a  comparatively  recent 
period?  Limestone,  like  that  at  Cape  Faneshaw, 
occurs  in  the  island  named  the  North-east  Land^  on 
the  east  coast  of  Spitzbergen.  The  officers  of  Cap- 
tain Parry's  expedition  also  found  granite  there. 
The  west  and  north  coast  of  Spitzbergen  are  com- 
posed principally  of  older  rocks,  viz.  primitive  and 
sometimes  transition  rocks.  The  primitive  rocks  of 
West  Spitzbergen  appear  at  the  South  Cape  m  lati- 
tude 76^°.  They  are  vertical  strata  of  mica-slate,  with 
numerous  beds  of  quartz,  ranging  from  north-east  to 
south-west.  In  Horn  Sound  and  Bell  Sound  these 
rocks  form  the  high  land ;  and  to  judge  from  the 
form  of  the  mountains,  these  or  other  primitive  rocks 
ascend  higher  on  the  west  coast.  The  primitive 
rocks  near  South  Cape  appear  in  part  overlaid  with 
the  shell-clay.  A  new  formation  of  red  sandstone 
and  gypsum  occurs  westward  along  the  seacoast  in 
fiords  under  the  high  chains,  and  also  in  small  low 
islands  which  lie  in  front  of  the  coast.  In  the  year 
1826,  sea-horse  fishers  from  Finmark  brought  sixty 
tons  of  coal  from  Ice  Sound,  in  north  latitude  78°,  to 
Hammerfest  in  Norway ;  and  we  are  informed  by 
Scoresby,  that  the  coal  is  so  easily  procured,  that 
many  of  the  Dutch  fishers  a  few  years  affo,  were  in 
the  habit  of  laying  in  a  stock  of  this  useful  mineral, 
for  fuel  on  the  passage  homeward.  The  coal  of 
Spitzbergen  which  extends  beyond  north  latitude 
79°,  resembles  in  some  places  cannel  coal ;  in  others 


ill 


356 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


9' ' 


^'i 


it  is  brown  coal  or  lignite.  Scoresby,  a  little  to  the 
north  of  north  latitude  79°,  at  Mitre  Cape,  observed 
the  hilL  to  be  composed  of  gneiss,  mica-slate,  and 
limestone, — and  in  King's  Bay,  a  little  to  the  south 
of  this  cliff,  on  the  coast,  natuiai  arches  of  marble. 
On  the  north  coast  of  Spitzbergeu,  in  some  points, 
as  at  Red  Beach,  secondary  rocks  of  red  sandstone, 
probably  new  red  sandstone,  occur ;  but  the  prevail- 
ing rocks  are  of  an  older  date,  being  principally  pri 
mitive,  with  less  frequently  rocks  of  the  transition 
class.  The  primitive  rocks  mentioned  in  Parry's 
narrative  are  i,nanite,  gneiss,  mica-slate,  hornblende- 
slate,  primitive  limestone  or  marble,  quartz-rock, 
dolomite  marble,  chlorite-slate,  and  clay-slate.  In 
the  mica-slate  precious  garnets  were  frequently  met 
with.  The  transition  rocks  were  principally  clay- 
slate,  quartz-rock,  and  limestone.  In  some  points 
alluvial  deposites  were  met  with,  and  brown  coal  or 
lignite,  either  of  new,  secondary,  or  of  tertiaiy  for- 
mation, was  noticed. 

Moffen  Island,  a  small  low  island,  lying  on  the 
north  side  of  Spitzbergeu,  in  north  latitude  80°  1', 
longitude  12°  43'  east,  was  visited  by  Mulgrave,  who 
says  it  had  not  been  noticed  by  the  older  navigators. 
It  may  be  of  new  formation,  and,  as  Scoresby  re- 
marks, has  probably  been  thrown  up  by  the  currents 
from  each  side  of  Spitzbergen,  meeting.  It  is  of  a 
roundish  form,  about  two  miles  in  diameter,  and  has 
a  shallow  lake  in  the  middle.  The  lake,  when  Scores- 
by saw  it,  was  frozen  over,  except  thirty  or  forty 
yards  round  the  edge,  and  this  near  the  end  of  July. 
The  whole  island  is  covered  with  gravel,  and  with- 
out the  least  vegetation.  It  is  hut  a  few  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  only  piece  of  drift-wood  found 
on  it  by  Mulgrave,  which  was  about  tliree  fathoms 
long,  and  as  thick  as  the  mizen-mast  of  a  ship,  had 
been  thrown  over  the  sea-beach  and  lay  near  the  lake. 
Captain  Parry  landed  on  several  islands  on  the  north- 
ern coast,  viz.  Low  Island  about  seven  miles  long. 


by,  a  little  to  the 
e  Cape,  observed 
;,  mica-slate,  and 
little  to  the  south 
trches  of  marble. 
,  in  some  points, 
of  red  sandstone, 
;  but  the  prevail- 
\g  principally  pri 
of  the  transition 
iioned  in  Parry's 
slate,  hornblende- 
rble,  quartz-rock, 
d  clay-slate.  In 
re  frequently  met 
principally  clay- 
In  some  points 
nd  brown  coal  or 
>r  of  tertiary  for- 

nd,  lying  on  the 
;h  latitude  80°  1', 
)y  Mulgrave,  who 
older  navigators, 
as  Score  sby  re- 
ip  by  the  currents 
eting.    It  is  of  a 
iiameter,  and  has 
ike,  when  Scores- 
)t  thirty  or  forty 
r  the  end  of  July, 
ravel,  and  with- 
fewfeet  above  the 
drift-wood  found 
ut  tliree  fathoms 
ist  of  a  ship,  had 
lay  near  the  lake, 
inds  on  the  north- 
even  miles  longr 


JAN   MAYENS    ISLAND. 


367 


which  appeared  composed  of  transition  quartz-rock. 
Waldeti  hie,  on  which  were  found  primitive  granites, 
quartz-rock,  and  gneiss ;  and  Rosses  Islet,  a  remark- 
able spot,  the  most  northern  known  land  of  the  globe, 
being  situated  in  north  latitude  80°  48|',  he  found  to 
be  composed  of  gray  and  reddish  granite-gneiss,  which 
is  very  coarse,  granular,  occasionally  porphyritic,  with 
imbedded  precious  garnets;  also  a  flesh-red  variety 
of  the  same  rock. 

Remarks. — From  the  prer'^ding  details,  it  appears 
that  Spitzbergen  and  its  mjighbouring  isles  afford 
rocks  belonging  to  five  of  '^  great  classes  admitted 
by  geologists, — namely,  pri  've,  transition,  secon- 
dary, tertiary  (1),  and  all  i;  No  true  volcanic 
rocks  are  mentioned  by  autliors.  Ores  are  of  rare 
occurrence,  small  portions  of  iron-pyrites  and  of  clay 
iron-stone  being  the  only  metalliferous  minerals 
enumerated.  The  dolomite-marble  of  Hecla  Cove, 
mentioned  by  Parry,  agrees  in  colour,  size  of  grain, 
and  other  characters,  with  the  statuary  marble  of 
Italy.  In  these  islands  the  precious  garnet  is  met 
with.  Its  occurrence  on  Ross's  Islet,  and  its  known 
distribution  in  other  countries,  shows  that  the  pre- 
cious  garnet,  of  all  the  gems,  has  the  widest  geo- 
graphical  range,  extending,  in  the  northern  hemis- 
phere,  Jrom  the  equator  to  the  high  latitude  80°  48^ 
north. 

Jan  Mayen's  Island. — Tiiis  island,  according  to 
Scoresby,  is  situated  between  the  latitudes  of  70° 
49'  north,  and  71°  8'  20"  north,  and  between  the 
longitudes  of  7°  26'  and  8°  44'  west.  It  is  about 
ten  leagues  long  from  north-east  to  south-west,  and 
is  in  no  place  above  three  leagues  in  breadth.  The 
peak  of  Beerenberg,  the  highest  summit  in  the  island, 
Scoresby  found  to  be  6870  feet  above  the  sea,  conse- 
quently higher  than  any  of  the  summits  in  Spitzber- 
gen and  Greenland.  It  was  seen  by  Scoresby  at 
the  distance  of  100  miles.  The  following  account 
of  the  geognosy  of  the  only  part  of  the  island  hitherto 


f 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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WIISTIKN  Y    14510 

(7U)  •7a-4»03 


f/i 


q\ 


358 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


examined  is  given  by  Scoresby,  and  we  know  it  is 
correct,  having  in  our  possession  the  specimens  col- 
lected during  the  excursion  : — 

"I  left  my  ship,"  says  Captain  Scoresby,  "  at  three 
quarters  past  one  in  the  morning,  accompanied  by 
Captains  Jackson  and  Bennet,  whose  ships  were 
near  at  the  time,  and  landed  at  half-past  two,  amid 
a  considerable  surf,  on  a  beach  covered  with  a  coarse 
black  sand.  This  sand,  which  formed  a  very  thick 
bed,  covered  over  an  extent  of  two  or  three  miles,  and 
about  a  furlong  in  breadth.  It  was  a  mixture  of  iron 
sand,  augite,  and  olivine  or  chrysolite.  The  black  parts, 
which  were  very  heavy,  and  readily  attracted  by  the 
magnet,  had  an  appearance  exactly  like  gunpowder. 
After  a  few  feet  rise,  forming  a  sea-bank  of  black 
sand,  the  strand  proceeded  inland  on  a  horizontal 
line  for  about  a  K)urth  of  a  mile,  where  it  was  ter« 
minated  by  irregular  cliffs.  The  strand  appeared 
to  have  been  occasionally  covered  with  the  sea,  as 
it  was  strewed  with  drift-wood,  part  of  which  was 
tolerably  good  timber,  and  the  rest  bruised  and  a 
little  worm-eaten.  I  had  not  advanced  many  paces 
before  I  observed  signs  of  a  volcano,  l^^ragments 
of  compact  a,ndvesicular  lava  were  met  with  at  every 
step ;  Dlocks  of  burned  clay  were  next  met  with ; 
and,  nearer  the  cliff,  large  masses  of  red  clay,  partly 
baked,  but  still  in  a  friable  state,  occurred  in  great 
abundance.  Numerous  pointed  rocks,  probably  of 
the  trap  formation,  were  projecting  through  the  sand. 
One  of  these,  which  was  vesicular  basalt,  had  numer- 
ous grains  and  crystals  of  augite  imbedded  in  it. 
Along  with  these  was  a  rock  nearly  allied  in  appear- 
ance to  the  celebrated  millstone  or  vesicular  oasalt 
of  Andernach.  After  leaving  the  sea-shore,  I  per- 
ceived no  other  mineral  but  such  as  bore  undoubted 
marks  of  recent  volcanic  action,  viz.  cinders,  earthy 
slag,  burnt  clay,  scoriae,  vesicular  lava.  The  place 
from  whence  these  substances  appear  to  have  been 
discharged  being  near,  we  attempted  to  re^ch  it.    In 


JAN   MAYEN'S   ISLAND. 


350 


now  it  is 
nens  col- 

"at  three 
»anied  by 
lips  were 
wOt  amid 
h  a  coarse 
rery  thick 
miles,  and 
ire  of  iron 
lack  parts, 
ted  by  the 
inpowder. 
;  of  black 
horizontal 
t  was  ter- 
appeared 
the  sea,  as 
which  was 
ised  and  a 
lany  paces 
b*ragments 
th  at  every 
let  with; 
|lay,  partly 
din  great 
•obably  of 
the  sand. 
|ad  numer- 
ided  in  it. 
in  appear- 
iar  Dasalt 
»re,  I  per- 
indoubted 
rs,  earthy 
16  place 
lave  been 
ihit.    liv 


performing  the  ascent,  the  steepness  of  the  hill  and 
the  looseness  of  the  materials  made  the  undertaking 
not  a  little  arduous.  We  frequently  slid  backwards 
several  paces,  by  the  pieces  of  lava  giving  way  be- 
neath our  feet ;  in  which  case  the  ground  generally 
resounded  as  if  we  had  been  travelling  on  empty  me- 
tallic vessels  or  vaulted  caverns.  The  baked  clay^ 
and  other  loose  rocks,  consisted  chiefly  of  large 
masses  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill ;  but  about  the 
middle  of  the  ascent  these  substances  were  in 
smaller  fragments.  Towards  the  top,  blocks  of 
half-baked  red  clay,  containing  many  crystals  of 
augite,  were  again  met  with ;  and  about  the  souths 
em  part  of  the  summit,  a  rugged  wall  of  the  same 
sort  occurred,  giving  the  mountain  a  castellated 
form  of  no  small  magnificence.  On  reaching  this 
summit,  estimated  at  1500  feet  above  the  sea,  we 
beheld  a  beautiful  crater,  forming  a  basin  of  600  or 
600  feet  in  depth,  and  600  or  700  yards  in  diameter* 
It  was  of  a  circular  form^  and  both  the  interior  and 
die  sides  had  a  similar  inclination.  The  bottom  of 
the  crater  was  filled  with  alluvial  matter  to  such  a 
neight,  that  it  presented  a  horizontal  flat  of  an  ellip- 
tical form,  measuring  400  feet  by  240.  A  subterra- 
nean cavern  penetrated  the  side  of  the  crater  at  the 
6ottom,  from  whence  a  spring  of  water  issued,  which, 
after  running  a  short  distance  towards  the  south, 
disappeared  in  the  sand.  From  this  eminence  we 
had  a  most  interesting  prospect.  Towards  the  north 
appeared  Beerenberg,  now  first  seen  free  from  clouds, 
rising  in  great  majesty  into  the  region  of  perpetual 
frost.  At  the  foot  of  the  mount,  on  the  south-east 
side,  near  a  stupendous  accumulation  of  lava,  bearing 
the  castellated  form,  was  another  crater  of  similar 
form  to  the  one  described  above.  Towards  the 
south-west  the  utmost  extent  of  the  island  was 
visible ;  while  towards  the  north  a  thick  fog  ob- 
scured the  prospect,  which,  as  it  advanced  in  stately 
ip*andeur  towards  us,  gradually  shrouded  the  dis^ 


li 


860 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


tant  sceneryt  until  the  nearer  mountains  were 
wrapped  in  impenetrable  gloom.  The  sea  at  the 
same  time  was  calm,  the  sun  bright,  and  the  at- 
mosphere of  half  the  hemisphere  without  a  cloud. 
Excepting  the  interest  excited  by  the  volcano,  Beer- 
enber^  sunk  every  other  object  into  comparative 
insignificance.  A  rocky  hill,  with  a  precipitous  side 
towards  the  sea,  lying  a  little  to  the  westward,  I 
descended  towards  it  from  the  ridge  of  the  crater, 
with  the  expectation  of  finding  some  other  kind  of 
rock  than  what  had  yet  been  met  with.  It  was 
found  to  consist  only  of  a  cliff  of  yellowish  gray 
friable  earth  or  clay,  in  which  crystals  of  augite, 
along  with  black  roundish  granular  pieces  of  basalt, 
)ay  imbedded.  A  piece  of  iron,  which  appeared  to 
have  been  derived  from  ironstone  by  a  smelting  pro- 
cess conducted  in  the  furnace  of  nature,  was  found 
near  the  volcanic  mount.  Being  very  cumbrous,  it 
was  laid  aside  by  our  party  as  we  ascended,  and  un- 
fortunately left  behind  by  us  when  we  quitted  the 
shore.  The  cliffs  here  aiforded  but  few  specimens 
of  plants.  Indeed,  we  traveUed  a  considerable  dis- 
tance before  we  could  perceive  the  least  sign  of  vege- 
tation ;  as  we  advanced,  however,  we  met  with  tufts 
of  plants  in  full  flower,  scattered  widely  among  the 
volcanic  rocks ;  but,  under  the  last  cliff  we  visited, 
the  variety  was  greater  and  the  specimens  more 
vigorous.  Among  the  plants  we  recognised  rumex 
digynjs,  saxifraga  tricuspidata,  and  oppositifolia, 
arenaria  peploides,  silene  acaulis,  draba  vema,  &c. 
We  returned  to  the  ships  at  six  in  the  evening.  A 
fishing  party  which  I  sent  out,  proving  unsuccessful 
in  the  efiing,  approached  the  shore  alK>ut  two  miles 
to  the  eastward  of  the  place  we  visited,  where,  though 
the  surf  was  very  consid'  Me,  and  the  strand  very 
contracted,  they  effected  ^ding.  They  observed 
much  drift-wood,  a  boal^s  oar,  a  ship^s  mast,  and 
some  other  wrought  wood,  scattered  alon^  the  shore. 
Every  rock  they  noticed,  and  all  the  specimens  they 


OLD   GREENLAND. 


301 


ns  were 
ea  at  the 
id  the  at- 
a  cloud. 
inOjBeer- 
mparative 
litous  side 
istward,  I 
he  crater, 
r  kind  of 
L.    It  was 
wish  gray 
of  augite, 
of  basalt, 
jpeared  to 
citing  pro- 
was  found 
imbrous,  it 
;d,  and  un- 
quitted  the 
specimens 
lerable  dis- 
gnofvege- 
t  with  tufts 
among  the 
ive  visited, 
nens  more 
sed  rumex 
^positifolia, 
vema,  &c. 
rening.    A 
^successful 
two  miles 
ere,  though 
itrand  very 
y  observed 
mast,  and 
the  shore, 
mens  they 


brought  away,  bore  the  same  volcanic  character  as 
those  I  observed.  Near  some  large  fissures,  which 
here  and  there  occurred  in  the  rocky  and  precipitous 
cliff,  immense  heaps  of  lava  were  seen,  which  ap- 
peared to  have  been  poured  out  of  these  chinks  in 
the  rock.  Cinders,  earthy  slag,  iron-sand,  and  frag- 
ments of  trap-rocks,  covered  the  beach  and  so  much 
of  the  cliff  as  they  had  an  opportunity  of  examining. 
The  volcano  discovered  in  this  excursion  I  ventured 
to  name  Esk  Mount,  after  the  ship  I  commanded, 
and  the  bay  where  we  landed  Jameson  Bay,  in  re- 
membrance of  my  friend  Professor  Jameson.'* 

Captain  Scoresby  farther  remarks,  that  Esk  Mount 
appears  to  have  been  in  action  in  the  spring  of  the 
following  year;  for,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1818,  being 
off  Jameson  Bay,  he  observed  near  to  Esk  Mount 
considerable  jets  of  smoke  discharged  at  intervals 
from  the  earth.  The  smoke  was  projected  with 
great  velocity,  and  seemed  to  rise  to  twice  the  height 
of  the  land,  or  about  4000  feet*  Captain  Gilyott,  a 
Greenland  fisher,  also  observed  the  same  appear- 
ance, with  this  addition,  that  once  he  noticed  a  shin- 
ing redness  resembling  the  embers  of  an  immense 
fire.  This  fact  serves  ^o  account  for  some  strange 
noises  heard  by  the  seven  *Dutch  seamen  who  at- 
tempted to  winter  here  in  the  year  1633-4.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  night  of  the  8th  of  September,  in 
particular,  they  "  were  frightened  by  a  noise  as  if 
something  had  fallen  very  heavy  on  the  ground ;  but 
saw  nothing.**  Tliis,  instead  of  being  the  fall  of  an 
iceberg,  as  some  have  supposed,  was  probably  a 
volcanic  phenomenon. 

3.  Old  Greenland. — This  extensive  land,  which, 
according  to  some,  is  a  continuation  of  the  continent 
of  America,  while  others  view  it  as  a  group  of  large 
islands,  extends  from  north  latitude  69°  14',  to  72° 
36'  north  latitude.  The  few  details  legarding  its 
geology  we  owe  to  Giesecke,  who  spent  many  years 
on  the  west  coasts — Scoresby,  who  explored  th« 

Hh 


ii 


i  i' 


I  ,.l 


862 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


east  coast, — and  Captain  Ross,  who  sailed  to  the  top 
of  BaflSn's  Bay.  i 

East  Coast  of  Greenland* — This  iron-bound  coast 
is  barren,  rugged,  and  mountainous ;  and  even  in  the 
warmer  seasons  of  the  year  but  few  animals  or 
vegetables  assist  in  varying  the  monotonous  and 
dreary  scene.  The  average  elevation  of  the  coast 
is  about  3000  feet..  Sevend  mountains  measured  by 
Scoresby  on  the  Liverpool  coast  were  found  to  bie 
4000  feet;  and  Werner  Mountains  in  Davy  Sound 
were  estimated,  by  the  distance  at  which  they  were 
seen,  and  the  elevation  they  assumed  above  the  ordi-> 
nary  mountains,  to  be  6000  feet.  In  the  interesting 
account  of  the  exploratory  voyage  of  a  late  distin- 
guished offLcer,  Captain  Clavering,  published  in  the 
ninth  volume  of  the  New  Edinlmrgh  Philosophical 
Journal,  it  is  stated,  that  on  the  coast  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  part  surveyed  by  Scoresby, — that, 
namely,  examined  by  Captain  Clavering, — the  moun- 
tains are  from  3000  to  4000  feet  high.  Scoresby's 
survey  extended  particularly  from  Cape  Barclay  find 
Knighton  Bay,  in  about  north  latitude  69°,  to  Cape 
Parry  in  about  north  latitude  72°  30' ;  that  of  Cap 
tain  Clavering  from  Cape  Parry  to  an  island  under 
north  latitude  76° :  the  coast  downwards  to  Staaten 
Hook  and  Cape  Farewell  to  about  north  latitude  59° 
SO',  is  in  part  described  by  Crantz,  but  much  of  it  is 
entirely  »mknown. 

The  tract  examined  by  Scoresby  appears  to  be 
principally  of  primitive  rock.  Secondaiy  rocks  also 
occur,  but  the  transition  are  the  least  frequent.  On 
the  beaches,  and  at  the  head  of  friths,  alluvial  depo- 
sites  were  noticed. 

The  primitive  rocks  noticed  were,  granite,  gneiss, 
mica-slate,  hornblende-slate,  syenite,  and  clay-slate. 
These  rocks  exhibit  in  that  remote  region  the  same 
varieties  of  structure  as  those  on  the  west  coast  of 
Greenland,  and  these  again  do  not  differ  from  the 
primitive  rocks  of  Britain  and  other  countries ;  thus 


li*! 


EAST  COAST  OF  GREENLAND. 


363 


affording  another  proof  of  the  uniformity  of  charac- 
ter, similarity  of  position,  and  universality  of  distri- 
bution of  primitive  rocks  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Judging  from  what  is  known  of  the  imbedded  mine- 
rals on  the  west  coast  of  East  Greenland,  and  reflect. 
ing  on  the  agreement  of  the  rocks,  both  on  the  east 
and  west  sides  of  the  country,  we  majr  infer,  that  if 
Scoresby  had  had  leisure  for  more  minute  investi- 
gation, his  scientific  zeal  would  have  been  rewarded 
by  the  discovery  of  the  hitherto  rare  cryolite,  the 
sodalite,  and  allanite,  with  magnificent  tourmalines 
and  garnets,  interesting  varieties  of  zircon^  splendid 
specimens  of  hyperstene,  the  remarkable  dichroiie, 
and  with  all  the  species  of  the  felspar  genus.    There 
does  not  appear  any  reason  why  the  ores  of  iron, 
lead,  tin,  and  copper  of  the  west  coast  should  not 
also  occur  in  the  same  rocks  upon  the  east ;  and  the 
fine  displays  of  apatate,  calcareous  spar,  Jliwr  svar, 
and  of  other  simple  minerals  on  the  west  coast,  wnich 
have  been  a  source  of  so  much  instruction  and  de- 
.ightful  contemplation  to  the  scientific  observer,  may 
til  some  future  voyage  present  themselves  in  the 
newly-discovered  countries  to  the  eye  and  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  naturalist.    The  specimens  of  transition 
clay-slate  picked  up  by  Scoresby,  prove  the  existence 
of  rocks  of  that  class  in  Greenland,  and  thus  add  a 
new  feature  to  its  geognosy ;  for  Giesecke  does  not 
enumerate  any  of  the  slates  he  met  with  as  belonging 
to  the  transition  class.    This  fact  is  also  a  farther 
proof  of  the  wide  distribution  of  these  rocks ;  and 
shows,  in  opposition  to  certain  speculative  views,  that 
they  are  not  confined  to  a  few  narrow  comers  of  the 
globe,  but,  like  granite,  gneiss,  &c.,  may  be  consi- 
dered as  occurring  in  most  extensive  tracts  of  coun- 
try, and  that,  therefore,  the  series  is  to  be  associated 
with  the  universal  formations.    We  do  not  know 
any  other  examples  of  transition  rocks  having  been 
found  in  so  high  a  latitude.    The  secondary  rocks 
met  with  are  referable  to  two  formations,  one  aque 


,  .11 


364 


ARCTIC   OEOLOOY. 


ous  or  Neptunian,  the  other  Plutonic  or  igneous 
the  Neptunian  rocks  belong  to  thejirst  secondary 
sandstone f  or  cocd-formationt — ^the  other  to  the  second- 
ary  trap  and  porphyry  series.  This  coal-formation 
does  not  occur  on  the  west  coast,  and  was  met  with 
for  the  first  time  in  Greenland  by  Scoresby.  It  is  the 
same  formation  as  that  which  abounds  all  around 
Edinburgh ;  in  short,  it  is  that  important  deposite  in 
which  are  situated  all  the  great  coal-mines  in  Scot- 
land and  England.  It  was  met  with  only  in  Jame' 
son's  Land,  where  it  forms  the  principal  deposite,  and 
gives  to  that  country  its  peculiar  characters ;  thus 
affording  another  example  of  the  connexion  of  the 
general  and  particular  forms  of  the  surface  of  a  coun- 
try with  its  geognostical  structure  and  composition. 
This  formation  always  contains  impressions  and 
casts  of  plants  which  have  a  tropical  aspect, — a  cir- 
cumstance of  high  interest,  when  combined  with  the 
Arctic  situation  of  the  coal.  The  coal-formation  in 
Melville  Island,  in  north  latitude  75°,  where  the  sum- 
mer lasts  but  a  few  weeks,  I  found,  on  examining  a 
series  of  specimens,  to  contain  various  tropical- 
looking  fossil  plants  resembling  those  met  with  in  the 
coal-fields  of  Britain;  and  as  the  same  formation 
occurs  in  Jameson's  Land,  in  north  latitude  71°,  it 
is  very  probable  that  future  naturalists  will  detect, 
in  its  strata,  plants  of  a  similar  nature.  Remains  of 
plants  with  tropical  characters,  evidently  in  their 
native  place  of  growth,  under  the  75°  north  latitude, 
is  a  fact  which  naturally  leads  to  very  interesting 
discussions  in  regard  to  the  ancient  forms  of  the 
land,  the  former  state  of  the  climate,  and  conse- 
quently to  the  early  condition  of  the  animal  and 
vegetable  kingdoms  of  Arctic  lands.  The  coal-for- 
mation of  Jameson's  Land,  at  J^eiWs  Cliffs^  exhibits 
a  splendid  display  of  secondary  trap-cliffs,  as  is  so 
often  the  case  in  the  middle  division  of  Scotland. 

The  secondary  trap-rocks,— all  of  which  are  more 
or  less  of  an  igneous  origin,  and  the  consideration  of 


WEST  COAST  OF  GREENLAND. 


365 


gneous 
condary 
3  second' 
»rmation 
net  with 
It  is  the 
I  around 
posite  in 
in  Scot- 
in  Jame" 
»site,  and 
;rs;  thus 
►n  of  the 
f  a  coun- 
iposition. 
ions  and 
t, — a  cir- 
with  the 
nation  in 
the  sum- 
mining  a 
tropical- 
ith  in  the 
Drmation 
le  71°,  it 
1  detect, 
ains  of 
m  their 
latitude, 
eresting 
s  of  the 
conse- 
lal  and 
;oal-for^ 
[exhibits 
IS  is  so 
bland. 
Ire  more 
ition  oi 


which  is  so  importantly  connected  with  the  position 
of  the  neighbouring  strata,  the  form  of  the  surface, 
and  the  elevation  of  that  surface  above  the  waters 
of  the  ocean, — occur  at  Traill  Island,  forming,  ap- 
parently, nearly  its  whole  mass.  These  rocks  are 
principally  greenstone,  and  claystone,  and  felspar 
porph3nies. 

Neither  Captain  Clavering,  nor  Captain  Sabine, 
who  accompanied  him,  appear  to  have  bestowed 
any  attention  on  the  geology  of  the  country  sur- 
veyed from  Cape  Farry  to  north  latitude  76®,  the 
most  northern  land  of  Greenland  seen  by  Clavering, 
as  all  we  obtain  from  their  reports  is  simply,  that 
the  land  was  mounts  mous,  from  3000  to  4000  feet 
high,  and  principally  composed  of  trap-rocks. 

West  Coast  of  Greenland* — ^The  west  coast  of  this 
forlorn  region  is  equally  mountainous,  rugged,  and 
desolate  as  the  east.  The  country,  even  when  but 
inconsiderably  elevated  above  the  sea,  is  covered 
with  snow,  or  encased  in  ice.  In  the  warm  season 
of  the  year,  rivers  appear,  but  few  in  number  and  of 
inconsiderable  size,  which  are  supplied  by  the  melting 
of  the  snow  and  ice.  The  same  also  is  the  case 
with  the  lakes,  which  in  some  parts  are  of  considera- 
ble size.  Springs  then  also  burst  forth,  but  in  winter 
the  greater  number  cease.  Giesecke  mentions  a 
tidal  spring,  which  rises  and  falls  with  the  tide ;  and 
a  hot  spring,  which  neither  cold  nor  storm  interrupts, 
flows  all  the  year  round  with  a  temperature  of  104^ 
of  Fahrenheit.  This  hot  spring  occurs  in  the  south- 
east of  the  coast,  in  the  island  of  Ounartok,  in  north 
latitude  60°,  and  is  highly  interesting,  as  showing 
that  that  igneous  agency,  which  was  formerly  exerted 
so  extensively  intfis  country,  is  still  at  work  beneath 
the  surface.* 

The  large  islands  that  skirt  this  coast,  of  which 

*  The  eTpcriments  of  Cordier,  detailed  in  the  New  Edinburgh 
Philosophical  Journal,  with  the  numerous  details  in  regard  to  tho  tem- 
perature of  Rprings  and  mines,  eo  to  support  the  idea,  not  of  a  untral 
h^mt,  Imt  of  a  source  of  heat  independent  of  that  demed  froni  the  ^uii. 
situated  la  the  crust  of  tfie  earth. 

Hh2 


906 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


the  most  considerable  is  Disco,  are,  like  the  conti* 
nent,  composed  of  barren  rocks,  and  of  valleys  filled 
with  eternal  ice;  while  the  smaller  islands  are 
formed  of  roundish  elevations  and  hills,  the  bases  of 
which  are  inhabited  by  numberless  sea-fowL 

The  little  we  loiow  of  the  geology  has  been  ob- 
tained by  examining  the  seacoast,  or  tracts  removed 
but  a  short  distance  from  it, — ^the  interior  and  higher 
parts  of  the  country  being  inaccessible,  owing  to  the 
deep  and  constant  cover  of  ice  and  snow. 

Four  classes  of  rocks  occur,  viz.  primitive,  se- 
condary, tertiary,  and  alluvial.  The  primitive  Nep» 
tunian  rocks  are,  some  granites,  gneiss,  mica-slate, 
white-stone,  clay-slate,  ffreen-stone,  and  limestone ; 
the  primitive  igtieous  rocKs,  are  granite  and  porphyry. 
These  rocks  exhibit  the  usual  relations,  the  gneiss 
appearing  as  the  under  or  fundamental  tock,  sup- 
porting uie  white-stone,  mica-slate,  and  clay-slate, 
with  their  limestones  and  greenstones ;  while  certain 
granites,  syenite,  and  porphyry,  rise  through  the  older 
or  Neptunian  rocks.  In  these  rocks  various  beauti- 
ful and  curious  simple  minerals  occur,  namely, 
cryolite^  allanite,  sodalite,  thulite;  also  numerous 
precious  garnets,  rock-crystal,  rose-quartz,  dichroite, 
nyperstene,  apatite  or  phosphate  of  lime,  zircon,flw>r* 
spar,  calc-spar,  gola-like  mica,  magnetic  iron  ore, 
gadolonite,  tin-stone,  wolfram,  arsenical  and  iron^ 
pyrites,  galena  or  leaciglance,  titanium,  &c.  &c. 
Indurated  talc  and  pot-stone  are  also  met  with.  Of 
these  lamps  and  kettles  are  made.  Utensils  made 
of  these  minerals  are  carried  to  some  districts  where 
they  are  not  found,  and  are  bartered  for  provisions, 
furs,  &c.  The  Greenlanders,  says  Grantz,  sometimes 
give  them  as  presents  to  persons  of  distinction  in 
Denmark,  where  *hey  are  highly  valued,  as  it  is 
thought  that  articles  of  food  prepared  in  them  are 
more  delicate  than  when  done  in  metallic  vessels.  It 
may  here  also  be  noticed,  that  the  gold-like  variety  of 
mica  was  at  one  time  taken  for  gold ;  and  it  is  stated 


barrow's  strait  and  MELVILLE  ISLAND.     86^/ 


tie  conti* 
eys  fUled 
inds  are 
bases  of 
I. 

been  ob* 
Temoved 
id  higher 
ing  to  the 

itive,  se- 
tive  Nep' 
ica-slate, 
mestone ; 
)orphyry. 
be  gneiss 
3ck,  sup- 
lay-slate, 
le  certain 
the  older 
is  beauti- 

namely, 
lumerous 
dichroitCt 
)(m,Jiuor» 
iron  ore, 
nd  iroU' 
&c.  &c. 
ith.  Of 
}ils  made 
;ts  where 
'ovisions, 
)metimes 
iction  in 

as  it  is 
hem  are 
jsels.  It 
rariety  of 
;  is  stated 


by  Egede,  that  its  appearance  was  so  seducing,  that 
two  successive  expeditions  were  sent  from  Denmark 
in  the  early  part  of  the  17th  century,  in  1636,  for  car- 
goes of  it,  in  the  expectation  of  finding  gold.  Not  ^ 
discouraged  by  the  first  failure,  a  second  ship  was 
laden  with  it,  which,  after  the  most  careful  analysis, 
was  found  worthless. 

The  secondary  and  tertiary  rocks,  at  present  known 
to  occur  in  this  coast,  are  secondary  or  tertiary  traps, 
or  both,  with  slate-cla^r,  Umestone  containing  fishes« 
and  limestone  containing  imbedded  amber.  These 
limestones  and  slate  contain,  or  are  associated  with, 
beds  of  brown  coal  or  lignite ;  in  some  kinds  of  brown 
coal  amber  also  occurs.  These  newer  trap-rocks* 
the  amygdaloidal,  varieties  of  which  contain  agate, 
jasper,  calcedony,  and  green  earth,  have  been  traced 
from  north  latitude  69o  14'  to  the  top  of  Baffin's  Bay, 
the  furthest  northern  point  reached  by  Captain  Ross.* 
A  splendid  display  of  these  rocks  is  presented  in  the 
large  island  named  Disco,  which  is  entirely  formed  of 
them.  The  alluvial  depositions,  which  are  of  sand, 
gravel,  clay,  and  rolled  masses,  occur  on  the  seashore, 
or  on  the  sides  of  the  fiords;  but  they  are  not  men- 
tioned as  appearing  any  where  in  great  quantity. 
Peat,  which  is  to  be  considered  an  alluvial  formation, 
is  met  with  in  fenny  places,  interspersed  with  roots^ 
branches,  decayed  wood,  and  withered  grass.  Much 
of  the  peat  contains  sea-shells,  from  which  it  is  sus- 
pected that  the  sea  washed  over  it  at  some  distant 
period.  No  wood  grows,  but  drift-wood  is  frequently 
obtained  on  the  sea-coasts,  particularly  in  the  south- 
em  and  western  parts. 

4.  Barrow's  Strait,  Melville  Island,  Port  Bowen. — 
All  that  is  known  of  the  geology  of  these  Arctic 
lands  we  owe  to  the  Parry  expeditions  in  1819  and 
20,  and  in  1821-2-3. 

The  east  side  of  Baffin's  Bay,  or  west  coast  of 

*  CoiMiderable  maeses  of  meteoric  iron  werf  found  by  Capt.  Kom,  af 
Sowallick  Point,  in  north  latitude  76°  2' 


:| 


368 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


Greenland,  as  already  mentioned,  is  composed  prin« 
cipally  of  primitive  and  secondary  rocks;  on  the 
west  side  of  Baffin's  Bay  to  the  entrance  of  Lan- 
.  caster's  Sound,  the  predominating  rocks  were  found 
to  be  primitive,  viz.  gneiss,  mica-slate,  and  granite. 
In  the  latitude  of  the  entrance  of  Lancaster's  Sound, 
in  Possession  Bay,  the  rocks  are  granite,  syenite, 
hornblende-rock,  with  disseminated  precious  garnets, 
and  rocks  of  new  red  sandstone,  with  fibrous  and 
granular  g3rpsum.  The  north  coast  of  Barrow's 
Strait,  as  far  westward  as  the  Polar  Sea,  is  said  to 
consist  of  limestone  resembling  mountain  limestone. 
Both  sides  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  are  formed  of  a 
compact  limestone,  which  contains  fibrous  brown 
iron  ore  and  a  kind  of  brown  coal.  Its  colours  are 
ash-gray,  yellowish-gray,  and  yellowish-brown.  It 
affords  about  20  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of  magne- 
sia, and  is,  therefore,  a  magnesian  limestone.  It 
contains  imbedded  masses  of  chert-quartz.  The 
organic  remains  found  in  it  were  entrochites,  catinu- 
lari(i,  werqporej  turbinolice,  Javosites,  several  species 
of  ierebratuloit  a  trochus,  a  turritella,  and  an  orthoce- 
raiite.  This  has  been  called  Port  Bowen  limestone ; 
its  age  has  not  been  determined.  Resting  upon  it 
there  are  thick  beds  of  gypsum,  containing  selenitic, 
fibrous,  and  foliated  varieties,  which  are  connected 
with  a  slaty  limestone,  which  is  newer  than  the  Port 
Bowen  limestone.  Byam  Martin's  Island  appears  to 
be  composed  of  granite  and  red-coloured  quartz- 
rock.  A  fossil  dicotyledonous  tree  was  found  on  the 
shore  of  this  island.  Melville  Island  is  the  most 
western  point  ever  navigated  ir,  the  Polar  sea  from 
the  eastern  entrance.  Ic  lies  in  north  latitude  74° 
26',  and  west  longitude  113°  46'.  Its  length  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  from  east- north-east  to 
south-south-west;  its  breadth  forty  or  fifty  miles. 
Granite,  gneiss  and  syenite,  were  found  in  tbo  vicinity 
of  Winter  Harbour,  but  the  principal  formations  in 
the  island;,  as  far  as  the  specimens  brought  allowed 


M£LVILLE  PENINSULA. 


369 


}d  prin- 
ou  the 
jf  Lan- 
B  found 
l^ranite. 
Sound, 
jyenite, 
garnets, 
)us  and 
arrow's 
i  said  to 
lestone. 
led  of  a 
brown 
mrs  are 
wn.    It 
magne- 
one.    It 
'.     The 
,  catinu- 
species 
orthocC' 
nestone ; 
upon  it 
elenitic, 
nnected 
he  Port 
3ears  to 
quartz- 

onthe 
most 
ea  from 
ude  74° 
1  is  one 

•east  to 

miles, 
vicinity 
ions  in 

lUowed 


le 


us  to  infer,  appear  to  be  transition  glance  coal,  and  the 
fint,  or  oldest  secondary  coal-formations.  The  rocks 
of  these  formations  observed  there  were  the  follow- 
ing:— 1.  WHite  quartz-rock,  sometimes  micaceous, 
containing  impressions  of  trilobites,  belondng  to  the 
genus  asaphus.  Sandstone  containing  trochif  or  joints 
of  the  stem  of  the  encrinusf  but  the  most  frequent 
fossils  in  the  sandstone  were  vegetable  casts  and  im- 
pressions of  species  in  some  measure  characteristic 
of  the  coal-sandstone,  particularly  arborescent  ferns, 
resembling  those  which  at  present  occur  only  m  the 
tropical  regions  of  the  earth.  Slate-clay  and  clay-^ 
ironstone  were  also  found  associated  with  the  coal- 
sandstone  ;  one  specimen  of  ironstone  was  found  to 
contain  a  fossil  avtcWa,  named  by  Konig,  Melvillianat 
in  honour  of  Lord  Melville.  The  secondary  coal  is 
more  or  less  of  a  slaty  structure :  its  colour  is  of  a 
brownish  black.  It  emits  no  unpleasant  smell  when 
burning,  and  leaves  copious  grayish-white  coloured 
ashes.  It  is  quite  a  different  coal  from  the  brown 
coal  of  Disco,  which  contains  amber.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  the  trilobite,  or  glance  coal,  is  connected 
with  quartz-rock,  while  the  secondary  coal  rests 
upon  a  limestone  resembling  the  mountain  limestone, 
containing  bivalve  shells  and  corallines,  a  species  of 
terebratula,  and  the  Favosiies  Gothlandicus.  These 
deposites  appear  to  be  traversed  by  whin  dykes  or 
trap-veins. 

5.  Islands  and  Countries  bordering  on  Hudson^s 
Bay  examined  and  partly  discovered  by  Captain 
Parry. — The  lands  bordering  on  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
the  islands  mentioned  by  Captain  Parry,  viz.  Melville 
Peninsula,  Yansittart  Island,  Baffin  Island,  Winter 
Island,  Cockbum  Island,  Southaiinipton  Island,  &c., 
are  not  very  much  elevated  above  the  level  of  the 
sea, — the  average  height  is  800  feet,  and  the  highest 
summits  not  exceeding  1500  feet.  The  valleys  are 
narrow  and  rugged,  and  the  cliffs  sometimes  display 
mural  precipices  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet  high. 


-it- 


370 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


The  country  is  covered  with  ice  and  snow  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  often  exhibiting  the  most  splendid 
colours  and  iridescences,  and  forms  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque description.  The  upper  soil  varies  from  a 
few  inches  to  a  foot  in  depth,  beneath  which  the 
ground  is  frozen  solid  throughout  the  whole  year. 
The  rocks  of  which  this  country  is  composed  vary 
in  their  nature ;  in  some  places  primitive  rocks  pre- 
dominating, in  others  those  of  the  transition,  or  ol 
the  secondary  classes ;  no  tertiary  rocks  were  met 
with,  nor  formations  either  of  the  ancient  or  modern 
volcanic  periods.  The  primitive  rocks  enumerated 
and  described  are  the  following: — Granite^  gneiss, 
mica  slate,  clay  slate,  chlorite  slate,  primitive  trap, 
serpentine,  limestone,  and  porphyry.  In  these  rocks 
several  interesting  minerals  occur,  as  the  gems  named 
zircon  and  beryl,  also  precious  garnet,  actynolite,  tre- 
molite,  diallage,  coccolite,  rock  crystal,  calc  spar, 
rhomb  spar,  asbestos,  graphite  or  black-lead,  specular 
^  ■^,  ore,  magnetic  iron  ore,  chrome  ore,  or  chromate 
of  iron,  titanitic  iron,  common  and  magnetic  iron  py- 
rites. The  transition  rocks  are  quartz-rock,  old  red 
sandstone,  or  red  graywacke,  common  graywacko, 
and  flinty  slate.  In  them  the  following  minerals 
were  found;  viz.  felspar,  mica,  chlorite,  pale  rose 
quartz,  epidote,  rock  crystal,  shorl,  molyhdena,  iron 
glance,  magnetic  iron  ore,  copper  pyrites,  and  iron 
pyrites. 

Of  the  secondary  rocks,  the  only  kinds  met  with 
were  limestone,  bituminous  shale,  and  greenstone. 
No  fossil  organic  remains  were  detected  in  any  of  the 
rocks  of  this  series  but  the  limestone,  which  afforded 
two  genera  of  corals,  viz.  caryophyllea  and  astrea ; 
one  crustaceous  animal  of  the  trilobite  genus ;  a  pro- 
ductus,  a  terebratula,  and  species  of  the  genera  nau' 
tilus,  trochus,  and  orthocceras.  No  extensive  de- 
posites  of  alluvial  matters  were  met  with.  The 
most  striking  objects  are  the  rolled  masses  or  boul- 
ders, spread  over  some  of  the  islands.    Some  islands, 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


371 


J  greater 
splendid 
lost  pic- 
s  from  a 
lich  the 
lie  year, 
sed  vary 
►cks  pre- 
3n,  or  ol 
veie  met 
•  modern 
imerated 
>,  gneiss, 
ive  trap, 
3se  rocks 
IS  named 
olite,  ire- 
ale  spar, 
specular 
chroinate 
;  iron  pij' 
:,  old  red 
lywacko, 
minerals 
ale  rose 
na,  iron 
\a7i(l  iron 

let  with 

senstone. 

|iy  of  the 

afforded 

astrea ; 

;  Q,pr0' 

ira  nau' 

live  de- 

Ih.    The 

lor  boul- 

islands, 


, 


entirely  composed  of  limestone,  were  strewed  over 
with  boulders,  often  of  enormous  size,  of  gneiss, 
granite,  and  quartz,  although  no  hills  of  these  rocks 
were  within  some  hundred  miles. 

CONGLUDINO  REMARKS. 

The  observations  made  in  Cherie  Island,  Jan  May- 
en's  Island,  Spitzbergen,  Old  Greenland,  and  the 
various  lands  and  islands  first  explored  during  the 
four  Arctic  expeditions,  viz.  that  under  Captain  Ross, 
and  the  three  under  Captain  Parry,  afford  the  fol- 
lowing general  facts  and  inferences : — 

1.  That  these  miserable  and  almost  uninhabited 
regions  abound  in  primitive  and  transition  rocks,  and 
that  although  secondary  rocks  occupy  considerable 
tracts,  still  as  far  as  is  known  at  present,  their  extent 
is  more  limited  than  that  of  the  older  formations ; 
that  the  alluvial  deposites  are  not  extensive ;  that 
true  modem  volcanic  rocks  occur  only  in  Jan  May- 
en's  Island;  and  that  the  only  traces  of  tertiary 
strata  were  found  in  the  sandstones,  and  clays,  and 
limestones  connected  with  the  new  trap-rocks  in 
Baffin's  Bay. 

2.  That  the  Neptunian,  primitive,  and  transition 
rocks,  now  forming  islands  of  various  magnitudes, 
were  in  all  probabihty  at  one  time  connected  together, 
and  formed  a  more  continuous  mass  of  land  than  at 
present ;  and  that  on  these  formations  were  depo- 
sited the  secondary  limestones,  sandstones,  gypsum, 
and  coal,  and  upon  these  again  the  tertiary  rocks,  and 
the  still  newer  shell-clay  of  Spitzbergen :  That  these 
various  kinds  of  primary,  transition,  secondary,  and 
tertiary  rocks  and  alluvial  clays  were  raised  above 
the  level  of  the  sea  at  different  times,  through  the 
agency  of  the  igneous  and  volcanic  rocks. 

3.  Tliat  in  the  course  of  time  the  land  was  broken 
up,—  either  suddenly  or  by  degrees,  or  partly  by  sud- 
den and  violent  action,  and  partly  by  the  long-con- 


372 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


tinued  agency  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  ocean,— 
into  its  present  insular  form ;  and  that,  consequently, 
the  secondary  and  tertiary  formations  were  formerly 
in  these  regions  more  extensively  distributed  than  at 
present. 

4.  That  previously  to  the  deposition  of  the  coal 
formation,  as  in  Melville  Island  and  in  Jameson's 
Land,  the  previously-existing,  or  older  hills,  supported 
a  vegetation  resembling  that  which  at  present  cha- 
racterizes the  tropical  regions.  The  fossil  corals  in 
the  limestones,  corals  of  which  the  prototypes  are 
at  present  met  with  in  the  hot  seas  of  the  tropical 
regions,  also  intimate  that,  before,  during,  and  after 
the  deposition  of  the  coal-formation,  the  waters  of 
the  Arctic  ocean  were  so  constituted  as  to  support 
polyparia,  or  corals,  resembling  those  of  the  present 
equatorial  seas.  'v 

6.  That  probably  the  ancient  cUmates  of  the  Arc- 
tic regions  were  connected  in  some  degree  with  the 
former  magnitude  and  form  of  the  Arctic  lands,  and 
their  relations  to  the  magnitude  and  height  of  other 
countries. 

6.  That  the  boulders  or  rolled  blocks  met  with  in 
different  quarters,  and  in  tracts  distant  from  their 
original  localities,  afford  evidence  of  the  passage  of 
water  across  them,  and  at  a  period  subsequent  to  the 
deposition  of  the  newest  Neptunian  strata. 

7.  That  possibly  the  distribution  of  the  erratic 
blocks  or  boulders,  was  occasioned  by  the  agitations 
in  the  ocean,  caused  by  the  upraising  of  certain 
lands. 

8.  That  the  black  or  common  coal,  the  coal  of  the 
old  or  most  abundant  coal-formation,  which  some 
speculators  maintain  to  be  confined  to  the  more  tem- 
perate and  warmer  regions  of  the  earth,  is  now 
proved,— by  its  discovery  by  Parry  in  Melville  Island 
far  to  the  west,  and  by  Scoresby  far  to  the  east  in 
Jameson's  Land,  to  form  an  inteiesting  feature  in 
the  geognostical  constitution  of  Arctic  countries. 


ARCTIC   GEOLOGY. 


373 


9.  That  the  new  red  sandstone  and  gjrpsum  found 
in  tracts  allow  us  to  infer  that  they  contain  rock-salt, 

10.  That  although  few  new  metalliferous  speci- 
mens have  been  found  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of  the 
mineralogist,  yet  the  previous  details  show  that  valu- 
able ores  of  iron,  copper,  lead,  and  tin,  and  also  gra- 
phite, or  black-lead,  are  met  with. 

11.  That  the  gems,  the  most  valued  and  most 
beautiful  of  mineral  substances,  are  not  wanting  in 
the  Arctic  regions,  as  is  proved  by  the  occurrence 
there  of  precious  garnets,  beryls,  zircons,  dichroites, 
and  rock-crystals. 

12.  That  the  islands  and  lands  described  in  the 
sketch  exhibit  the  same  general  geognostical  ar- 
rangements as  occur  in  all  other  extensive  tracts  of 
country  hitherto  examined  by  the  naturalist, — a  fact 
which  strengthens  that  opinion  which  maintains  that 
the  grand  features  of  nature,  in  the  mineral  king- 
dom, are  everywhere  similar,  and,  consequently,  that 
the  same  general  agencies  must  have  prevailed 
during  the  formation  of  the  different  groups  of  rocks 
of  which  the  earth  is  composed. 


lui  Kim. 


